Assessing Breast Cancer Risk in Women

Written by Tiffany Pompa, M.D., M.S.
Affiliated with Cape Regional Health System.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer. This month, it is important to be mindful of ourselves as well as our family members with breast cancer risk as anyone reading this article likely knows of a person diagnosed with breast cancer.
Risk factors for breast cancer include being a woman, getting older, and women with a family history of breast cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer or pancreatic cancer can be at high risk especially when a family member is diagnosed before the age of 55.
Family History is something that cannot be changed but efforts should be made for one to know their family history as well as discuss with the healthcare providers whether genetic testing is warranted as genetic syndromes have screening recommendations for prevention. A gene mutation, BRCA1 and BRCA2 can increase the likelihood of developing breast, ovarian cancer, other cancers and increases breast cancer occurrence in men. However, most breast cancer cases are sporadic or have no known genetic cause. Hereditary risk identification as well as genetic testing combined with increased surveillance and intervention, can be life-saving.
Since family inheritance cannot be reversed, there are proven lifestyle recommendations that can decrease breast cancer risk. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer and this correlates with the amount of alcohol consumed. There is a 20% higher risk of having breast cancer in women who drink 2 to 3 drinks a day compared to those who don’t drink alcohol. In addition, cessation of nicotine use decreases cancer risk including that of the breast.
Being overweight also increases breast cancer risk, especially after menopause since estrogen at that point in a woman’s life is made in fat cells as opposed to when you’re younger where it’s made in your ovaries. Increase fat tissue causes an increase in estrogen levels which can fuel certain types of breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight as well as daily exercise has been proven to decrease breast cancer risk.
Early detection saves lives. This is proven time and time again and day after day. The first start is with annual screening mammograms. Important questions to ask your doctor are when should you start doing screening mammograms. This is based on your age as well as your family history, but women should discuss this with their doctor when they reach their 40s. Once you start screening for breast cancer, they should be done at least yearly depending on your age. There is no rule that at a certain older age you should stop breast cancer screening.
Breast cancer screening methods include a clinical breast examination, mammography, and other imaging techniques. Self-breast examinations are important as any changes to the breasts should be discussed with your physician but mammograms remain the most important diagnostic tool for diagnosing breast cancer. Please talk to your doctor and schedule your screening mammogram today.
Dr. Tiffany Pompa specializes in hematology and oncology. She is board certified in hematology, oncology, internal medicine with a Masters in molecular biology.
Cape Regional’s Thomas & Claire Brodesser Jr. Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer care center accredited by the American College of Radiology and the Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons. Only 1 in 4 hospitals that treat cancer receive the CoC’s recognition for high-quality care.  Support groups, a certified Breast Navigation team, 3D mammography, the latest TrueBeam technologies and a diverse team of providers and surgeons are available within Cape Regional’s Cancer Care Program. The Jane Osborne Center for Women’s Health provides patients with personalized care and access to these services and providers.   Cape Regional Health System is a Penn Cancer Network member, which gives our patients access to many promising new treatments being studied in clinical trials.  For more information on services and for a healthier life call 609-463-CAPE.