Get your mammogram

by Larry D. Jones, MPH, Health Director

October 19

You know you should get your yearly physical, but does it include your mammogram? If not, it should. The American Cancer Society also notes that 70% to 80% of breast cancer patients don't have a family history of the disease. So if breast cancer runs in the family, it is doubly important that you schedule that mammography.

After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the United States. But breast cancer rates have fallen in recent years, though doctors aren't certain why. Still, for many women, breast cancer is the disease they fear most.

Not having any breast lumps doesn't rule out cancers that are too small to feel. Breast cancer can start long before a tumor is big enough to feel. According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), mammograms can often show a breast lump before it can be felt.

Symptoms of a possible health issue include:

• A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
• Bloody discharge from the nipple
• Change in the size or shape of a breast
• Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
• Inverted nipple
• Peeling or flaking of the nipple skin
• Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight invasive breast cancers are found in women younger than 45; about two-thirds of invasive breast cancers are found in women aged 55 or older. Thus, it is recommend that women in their 20s and 30s get a clinical breast exam as part of a routine checkup done by a health professional, preferably every three years and every year after age 40. Any breast lumps should get prompt medical attention.

As in all health issues, we are the first defense in preventing chronic disease. Can you prevent breast cancer if you are at risk through family history? Maybe and maybe not, but there are some things you can do to reduce your risks.

• Ask your doctor about breast cancer screening.
• Become familiar with your breasts through breast self-exams.
• Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all.
• Exercise most days of the week.
• Limit postmenopausal hormone therapy.
• Maintain a healthy weight.

Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening, and together you can decide what breast cancer screening strategies are right for you.