For the majority of women, the benefits of estrogen in protecting against cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis outweigh the potential increase in breast cancer risk. 5 T here currently are clinical studies investigating whether treatments with anti-estrogen agents will help decrease the rate of breast cancer development. This study is designed to follow these participants through time and compare the two groups rate of breast cancer development. The results from this trial will not be available for many years. T oday in the United States, about one of every eight women will get breast cancer at some time in her life.
Many women ask if there is a way to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.
This question is important to those women who have never had any personal experience with breast cancer. It is also important to those women who have a special concern because they have a relative with breast cancer. To answer this question, we have to review the major risk factors for breast cancer. 7 W omen who have a close relative with breast cancer are often more concerned about whether they might have a higher than average risk for the disease. One of the important questions both women and scientists ask is whether getting breast cancer is inherited.