Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women, and also one of the most feared.
Dr. Ashley Hendrix, breast surgical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care, said patients can fight that fear by managing their risk and being vigilant about screening.
She said there are many steps a patient can take to reduce their risk of getting breast cancer, and encouraged women to talk to their provider about their personal screening needs.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women, making it one of the diseases people fear the most. Understanding your risk and how to manage it can help you overcome that fear and protect your health.
“Everyone is afraid of breast cancer, because everyone has some kind of personal connection to breast cancer,” says Ashley Hendrix, MD, FACS, breast surgical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care. “The only way to fight that fear is with knowledge.”
Dr. Hendrix kicked off Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October with a “Lunch & Learn” to help women take practical steps to manage their breast cancer risk.
She noted one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. The National Cancer Institute estimates that in 2024, 310,720 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 42,250 people will die of the disease.
While that is an increase in diagnoses, it’s a decrease in deaths. “Even as more people are getting breast cancer, fewer people are dying from it,” Dr. Hendrix said.
For all patients, the five-year survival rate is 91.2%. If cancer is detected when it is just in the breast, the five-year survival rate is 99.6%. If cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, it is 86.7%.
That is why it is so important to manage your risk and screen appropriately, Dr. Hendrix said.
“Everyone is afraid of breast cancer, because everyone has some kind of personal connection to breast cancer,” says Ashley Hendrix, MD, FACS, breast surgical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care. “The only way to fight that fear is with knowledge.”
There are some risk factors you can’t do anything about, including gender and age. “Being a woman is the number one risk factor for breast cancer, and the longer you live, the more likely you are to get breast cancer,” Dr. Hendrix explained.
Other non-modifiable risk factors include family history, an early start to menstruation and late menopause, and having multiple biopsies. Dr. Hendrix stressed biopsies do not cause elevated risk; instead, it is likely the need for multiple biopsies suggesting breast tissue is changing or has abnormalities.
Dr. Hendrix encourages women to focus on the risk factors they can influence.
Pregnancy and birth reduce risk, as can breastfeeding for six months or more total. Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding all temporarily lower estrogen, which is a factor in breast cancer risk.
Avoiding exposure to hormones from fertility treatments or hormone replacement therapy can also reduce risk. Dr. Hendrix stressed it is OK to have these treatments when they are necessary, but patients should limit them to only the amount of time needed.
The last three modifiable risk factors are often the easiest to address: maintaining a healthy BMI, getting regular exercise, and reducing alcohol consumption to less than one serving per week.
Dr. Hendrix noted exercise especially can have a huge impact: “Exercising 30 minutes a day for five days a week lowers your relative risk by up to 40 percent. It should be a sustained effort, and both cardiovascular and strength exercise are important,” she said.
The other key aspect of protecting yourself from breast cancer is proper screening.
While self-exams aren’t officially recommended because it’s hard to detect lumps until they are large, Dr. Hendrix does encourage women to be aware of changes in their breasts.
If you do self-exams, check from the clavicle over to the sternum and down to the upper abdomen. Also, look in the mirror to check for dimples, inverted nipples, or changes in the skin.
“Anything that engages and empowers you in your health is something you should do,” Dr. Hendrix said.
Exercise is a great tool for managing your breast cancer risk. “Exercising 30 minutes a day for five days a week lowers your relative risk by up to 40 percent. It should be a sustained effort, and both cardiovascular and strength exercise are important,” Dr. Ashley Hendrix said.
You should also talk to your doctor about your risk and screening needs. Doctors use models to assess risk, and calculated risk of 20 percent or higher risk of getting breast cancer in their lifetime is considered high risk.
Average-risk women should have annual screening mammograms starting at age 40, while high-risk women may need earlier, more frequent, and more detailed screening. For some high-risk patients, breast MRI is used in conjunction with mammogram and ultrasound for cancer screening.
Any patient with symptoms should have a diagnostic mammogram, Dr. Hendrix said, which take more images so radiologists can inspect areas of concern. Sometimes, ultrasound is used to see if areas of concern that show up on a mammogram are benign cysts or suspicious lesions.
Finally, qualifying patients can benefit from another type of screening: Genetic testing.
Dr. Hendrix, who is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network committee that determines the standards for who qualifies for breast cancer genetic testing, said guidelines are based on a detailed family history and a patient’s other risk factors.
If a patient qualifies, they’ll usually have a blood draw to test for gene mutations associated with a higher cancer risk. Patients who have a hereditary risk of breast cancer can consider increased screening, risk reduction medications, lifestyle risk reduction, or risk reduction surgery to help prevent breast cancer.