Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. It is second to lung cancer as the leading cause of death for women. Experts say the fear of breast cancer can sometimes be exaggerated, stopping women from going to their doctors for screening, or pushing women to make rash decisions about mastectomy, when it may it may not be necessary.

"There's a lot of treatment for breast cancer," assures Diane Helentjaris, MD, immediate past president of the American Medical Women's Association. "It's not a death sentence."

She urges women to keep their emotions in perspective and to educate themselves about the issues.

The American Cancer Society lists the following as risk factors for breast cancer:

• Female sex
• Increasing age
• Genes. Nearly 5 to 10 percent of breast cancer is linked to mutations in certain genes (most commonly, the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes).
• Family history of the disease
• Personal history of the disease
• Race. White women have a slightly greater risk of getting breast cancer compared with African-American women. Yet African-Americans have a greater chance of dying from this disease.
• Earlier abnormal breast biopsy
• Earlier breast radiation
• Early onset of menstruation (before age 12) or menopause after age 55
• Not having children
• Medication use, such as diethylstilbestrol (DES)
• Too much alcohol
• Poor diet
• Obesity

Stephen F. Sener, MD, president of the American Cancer Society, recommends controlling your weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and talking to your doctor about your risk and appropriate screening for breast cancer. He also says to keep risk factors in perspective.

"Just because your mother didn't have breast cancer, it does not mean you are immune to this problem," says Sener. At the same time, it's also important to note that some women who have one or more risk factors never get breast cancer.