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Q: Lately, I have been hearing a lot about breast cancer. I was wondering what are the risk factors, and what I can do to help prevent the disease.
A: There are various risk factors for the occurrence of breast cancer. These include: a family history of breast cancer (especially mother or sister), not having had children, atypical hyperplasia on previous biopsy, early menstruation (before age 12), late meno-pause (after age 55), first pregnancy after age 30, obesity, alcohol use, current or previous oral contraceptive use and premenopausal or postmenopausal estrogen replacement therapy. Breast cancer cannot be 100% prevented. However, there are various things you can do to try to prevent it, or to detect it early so that it can be more easily treated. These include: examining your breasts monthly for signs of cancer, visiting your doctor regularly for an examination, obtaining a baseline mammogram between ages 35 to 40, having mammograms every 1 to 2 years to age 49 and annually after 50 or as recommended by your doctor, eating a well-balanced diet that is low in fat, and breastfeeding your baby since women who have breast-fed have a lower incidence of breast cancer.
Updated: 06/13/99
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