October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this is an important time to take a moment to remember the importance of breast cancer prevention and early detection. Thanks to the American Cancer Society and dramatic improvements in cancer research, treatment and early detection, millions of women are surviving breast cancer today. As we learn more about the risk factors associated with breast cancer, it’s important for everyone to be aware of how they can reduce their risk and what they need to look out for when it comes to early diagnosis.
What are the Risk Factors?
There are several known risk factors associated with breast cancer. Some of these include age, family history, certain genetic mutations and lifestyle choices such as not exercising regularly or smoking cigarettes. While some risk factors cannot be controlled (such as age), many lifestyle changes can help reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. These include eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking or drinking too much alcohol, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, having regular mammograms and getting tested for any genetic mutations that may increase your risk.
Importance of Early Detection
Early detection is key when it comes to treating most types of cancers—breast cancer included. That’s why it’s so important for women over 40 to get regular screenings like mammograms or MRI scans (depending on their individual risk factors). These tests can detect small tumors before they can be felt by a doctor during an exam. Early detection allows doctors to treat the tumor before it has spread throughout the body which increases survival rates significantly.
That being said, self-exams are also important in addition to regular screenings—especially if you have a family history of breast cancer or certain genetic mutations that put you at higher risk than other women your age. Performing self-exams monthly will allow you to become familiar with how your breasts normally look and feel so that you will be able to notice any changes quickly should they occur.
By staying informed about your personal risks as well as taking proactive steps towards prevention such as making lifestyle changes or undergoing regular screenings/self exams, you can give yourself peace of mind knowing that you’re doing all you can do protect yourself against this difficult disease.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month—a great time for women everywhere to take stock in their own health journey by understanding their individual risks factors as well as learning more about early detection methods such as mammograms/MRI scans and self-exams. While there is no surefire way to prevent against developing breast cancer entirely, there are plenty of things we can do proactively to reduce our own personal risks while keeping an eye out for any potential signs or symptoms should they arise. By staying informed about our own health needs in combination with regular checkups from our medical providers we can make sure we’re doing all we can do protect ourselves against this difficult disease.
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