Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer

At this point in time, scientists and doctors have yet to discover the specific causes for breast cancer. However, what is known are the different risk factors that may trigger or put women more at danger of acquiring this

Age: Breast cancer incidence increases with age, it doubles about every 10 years until the menopause, after which the rate of increase slows dramatically.

Understanding ways to prevent breast cancer are important for all women to know and discern. Every woman is at risk of developing breast cancer, however, the risk is not equal among all women. “Some breast cancer risk factors, such as gender and family history, are not changeable. Other risk factors, like age, become more important as a woman grows older. Some of the following lifestyle characteristics could reduce the chance of developing breast cancer. Characteristics include exercise at least one and a half hours a week, maintaining a healthy body weight, and taking Aspirin or Ibuprofen twice a week can lower your chances of developing breast cancer. Alcohol consumption more than doubles the risk of women obtaining breast cancer, and smoking shows increased rates of breast cancer”(Holmes par 1). Some women may not be genetically proven to develop breast cancer, but that doesn’t mean the individual will not get cancer

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that begins in the breast ("Florida Department of Health," n.d.). A malignant tumor can invade surrounding tissues or spread to other areas of the body. Breast cancer is predominantly a disease among women and is the most common type of cancer among women in the United States.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in American women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). However, regular screening and mammograms can help reduce the mortality rates of breast cancer patients (LaPorta, et al., 2017). Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include lumps, abnormal changes to the nipple, abnormal discharge from the nipple, or change in color of the breast or part of the breast (Asuquo and Olajide, 2015). There are many factors that can put women at risk of developing breast cancer, the two most common being growing older and being female (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Other risk factors can include things such as a

Question 2. What are the risk factors for the development of breast cancer? Educating women about their risk of developing

My mother, Bonita, was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 45. She first discovered the lump herself and proceeded to take it to a professional to get it checked out. There is no evidence in her immediate family to say that this is hereditary, but a combination of a few factors increased her risk of getting breast cancer. My mother was overweight, has had an early menstruation (before age 12), lived a sedentary lifestyle, and at the time she didn’t have a well-balanced diet. Along with those factors, her doctors pointed out that her risk could have been increased by her use of an oral contraceptive.

List the factors in the patient’s history that increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In 2008, more than one million women underwent a diagnostic evaluation for suspected breast cancer. Approximately 182,500 women of the more than one million that received an evaluation also received a positive diagnosis (Montgomery, 2010). Risk factors linked to Breast Cancer include: gender, age, family history, prior breast cancer, previous biopsy, race and ethnicity, breast density, and long menstrual history because of prolonged hormonal stimulation. Modifiable related risk factors also include hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, weight, and physical

Such findings, all of which relate to hormone-based life events, suggest that breast cancer is somehow affected by prolonged exposure to female sex hormones, such as estrogen. Women with a history of breast cancer in the family are also at greater risk. About five percent of all breast cancers have been attributed to a mutated, or structurally altered, gene known as BRCA1. Mutations in a second gene, BRCA2, contribute significantly to the development of breast cancer in Jewish women. Alcohol, high levels of fat in the diet, and not exercising regularly have also been linked to increased risk for breast cancer (Garber).

The high levels of estrogen circulating due to excess body fat post menopause is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in this demographic of women.

“Women with certain risk factors are more likely than others to develop breast cancer” (National Breast Cancer [NBC], n.d ). Exposure to radiation and drinking alcohol are risks that can be avoided, whereas breast cancer that is caused by inherited genetic factor can not be avoided. “ Many risks factors contribute to women being diagnosed with breast cancer. Most breast cancer are acquire during the lifetime while only about 5% to 10% are inherited” (breastcancer.org). The risk of developing breast cancer for women around 70 years old is roughly 4 percent. “In the 1970s, the chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States was just under 10 percent or about 1 in 10” (National Breast Cancer [NBC], n.d ). Even though, many studies and clinical trials are completed during these years; they still are not sure what causes breast cancer. Many believe that inheritance plays a significant role; however, there are still questions about this issue. BRCA1 AND BRCA2 are two genes that produce proteins in the body that help control tumor cell growth (cancer.gov). When these genes change, they do not produce proteins to repair the altered DNA; therefore, they cause breast cancer. If these two genes are inherited from a parent, it causes the child to have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Also, exposure to radiation and over consuming of alcohol can cause someone to develop breast cancer

There are lost of ways to prevent cancer or try to prevent it. One of these is reducing your fat intake. One study shows that the result of this is that the level of estrodiol, the potent form of estrogen decreases. Another way to fight breast cancer is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Many fruits and vegetables contain chemicals that may be cancer fighters. A concentrated form of limonene, a substance found in citrus skins, has been found to shrink breast cancer in animals. Some studies have shown that if you breast-fed for more than four months it lowers your risk of the cancer. In a recent study women who have underwent breast reduction have a low risk of getting breast cancer by forty percent.

Breast cancer accounts for one third of all new cancer diagnoses in the United States (Cauley, et al., 2007). The first sign in the process of this disease is a lump that forms around the breasts. For this reason, it is necessary to get the yearly mammograms once a woman reaches a certain age. Also, monthly self-examinations can aid in finding breast cancer early. If this condition is found early enough, chances of survival are abundant. Most women who get breast cancer are older than 50 with 86% of the deaths occurring in this age group (Cauley, et al., 2007). Postmenopausal women have a higher risk for breast cancer, because the risk increases when levels of endogenous estradiol rise (Cauley, et al., 2007). Breast cancer is the most common cancer that occurs in women. This epidemic has a higher incidence rate among white women than in African American women, but African American women have a higher mortality rate (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010). White women are more apt to develop this disease than any other ethnicity. However, in women under 45, breast cancer is more common in African American women (Breast Cancer Risk Factors, 2010).

In recent years, cancer prevalence has been increasing globally. It is now one of the top 10 causes of death among the middle and high income countries worldwide (World Health Organisation, 2008). In Singapore, cancer has surpassed cardiovascular disease and become the top killer over the last 3 years (Ministry of Health, 2007). Breast cancer tops the chart among Singaporean women (Health Promotion Board, 2007). Thousands of women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually and it causes approximately 270 deaths each year (Jara-Lazaro, et al., 2010). The lifetime risk that a woman in Singapore getting breast cancer is now 1 in every 17 which has risen compared to past two decades (National Cancer Centre Singapore, 2006). Hence, breast