By Makenzie Keller HealthSouth Information Center October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Take the time to recognize breast cancer risk factors and encourage the women you care about to get screened for breast cancer by having a mammogram. Although the test cannot prevent breast cancer, it may lead to early detection, which can greatly improve chances of survival. Women are much more likely to get breast cancer, although 1 of every 100 breast cancers occurs in men. If your mother was diagnosed with breast cancer before she was 50 years old, you should start screening mammograms 10 years before you are the age your mother was when she was diagnosed, even if that means you get your first mammogram while in your 20s.
Caucasian women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
On the other hand, minority women are more likely to die from their cancer, possibly due to a delay in seeking treatment and the fact that they are less likely to have annual mammograms. High fat intake, smoking, and moderate to heavy alcohol intake are believed to increase breast cancer risk. The American Cancer Society suggests that women age 40 and older have a mammogram every year, and that women age 20 and older should perform monthly breast self-exams. Women who find a lump, swelling, dimpling, nipple pain, skin irritation, or any other unusual symptoms during a breast exam should seek prompt medical attention. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute recently published an article by Canadian researchers claiming that screening mammography does not improve the survival rate of women diagnosed with breast cancer any more than if women waited until they felt a mass on examination.