Prevention is Key

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. While most people are aware of breast cancer, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages and encourage others to do the same. When breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 100%.

Many factors can influence your breast cancer risk, and most women who develop breast cancer do not have any known risk factors or a history of the disease in their families. However, you can help lower your risk of breast cancer in the following ways—

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Exercise regularly (at least four hours a week).
• Don’t drink alcohol, or limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one per day.
• Avoid exposure to chemicals that can cause cancer (carcinogens).
• Try to reduce your exposure to radiation during medical tests like mammograms, X-rays, CTscans, and PET scans.
• If you are taking, or have been told to take, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptives (birth control pills), ask your doctor about the risks and find out if it is right for you.
• Breastfeed your babies, if possible.