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Breast Cancer Prevention

The risk of breast cancer increases gradually as a woman gets older. This disease is uncommon in women under the age of 35.

All women age 40 and older are at risk for breast cancer. However, most breast cancers occur in women over the age of 50, and the risk is especially high for women over age 60.

What Should You Do?
Your thirties are the best time to evaluate your individual lifestyle and determine what changes need to be made, such as:

• Confirming your family history of breast cancer;
• Consistently visiting your doctor annually for a clinical breast exam;
• Continuing or beginning monthly breast self-examinations (BSE);
• Eating balanced meals as part of a healthy diet;
• Exercising and maintaining an active lifestyle;
• Drinking alcohol only in moderation;
• Quitting smoking.

Who Is at Risk for Breast Cancer?
Simply being a woman and getting older puts you at some risk for breast cancer. Your risk for breast cancer continues to increase over your lifetime. Several known factors can further increase your risk for breast cancer. Most women who get breast cancer have no known risk factors such as a family history of the disease.

Breast Cancer Odds Change with Age:

Source: Probability of Developing or Dying of Cancer: National Cancer Institute, 1999.

Talk to your doctor about the known risk factors for breast cancer.