According to John Hopkins and the American Cancer Society, there are both environmental and genetic risk factors to consider when breast cancer is concerned.

Some Environmental and Lifestyle Risk Factors are:

• a sedentary lifestyle with little to no physical activity

• obesity especially after menopause

• prescribed combined hormone replacement therapy for menopause

• radiation therapy to the chest prior to age 30

• unhealthy diet low in fruits and vegetables and high in saturated fats

• frequently consuming alcohol

Some Genetic Risk Factors are:

• having dense breast tissue can make lumps harder to detect

• being a woman makes you 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than a man

• menstruation beginning prior to age 12 or ending after age 55

• BRCA1 and BRCA 2 gene mutation

• family history, especially if your mother, father, or sibling was diagnosed prior to age 50

• abnormal cells in the breast

THE FACT IS 60-70% OF PEOPLE THAT WILL DEVELOP BREAST CANCER WILL HAVE NO CONNECTION WITH ANY OF THESE OR ANY OTHER KNOWN RISK FACTORS.

Breast cancer is often caught through imaging. Forks Community Hospital provides digital screening and diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided breast biopsies. Breast cancer detection in early stages has a 90 percent or greater survival rate. Call today to schedule a mammogram in October and receive a free gift with your exam. Most major insurance carriers including Medicare and Medicaid approve the recommended annual mammogram for women over age 40.

Kim Hull – Director of Imaging Services

To Schedule: Imaging (360)327-8090

Disclaimer: This column is not intended as a diagnosis or recommended treatment of a specific condition.

Answers are not a replacement for an individual medical evaluation.

Individual health concerns should be evaluated by a licensed clinician.