The earlier breast cancer is discovered, the better the chances for successful treatment. You should report any symptoms to your doctor right away. Regular screening is the best way to discover breast cancer early. Women over 40 should begin having annual mammograms and annual breast exams by their health care provider. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing a disease such as cancer.
Different cancers have different risk factors.
For example, smoking is a risk factor for cancers of the lungs, mouth, throat, larynx, bladder, and several other organs. Many people with one or more risk factors never develop cancer, while others with this disease have no known risk factors. It is important, however, to know about risk factors so that appropriate action can be taken, such as changing a health behavior or being monitored closely for a potential cancer. All cancers caused by cigarette smoking and heavy use of alcohol could be prevented completely. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 1999 about 175,000 cancer deaths are expected to be caused by tobacco use and an additional 19,000 cancer deaths are related to excessive alcohol use, frequently in combination with tobacco use.