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 cases occur in women
over the age of 50, but the risk of breast cancer
is especially high for women over age 60.
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.
Talk
to your doctor about the known risk factors for breast cancer.
Breast
Cancer Odds Change with Age:
|
By Age
30
|
1 out
of 2,525 women
|
|
By Age
40
|
1 out
of 217 women
|
|
By Age
50
|
1 out
of 50 women
|
|
By
Age 60
|
1
out of 23 women
|
|
By
Age 70
|
1
out of 14 women
|
Source:
Probability of Developing or Dying of Cancer: National Cancer Institute,
1999.
What
Should You Do?
Women ages sixty and older need evaluate their family history of breast
cancer to rule out genetic factors. Also, breast cancer occurs most often
for women ages sixty and older, which is why annual doctor visits for
a clinical breast examination and mammogram is essential. It is never
too late to begin incorporating a healthy diet and moderate exercise in
an effort to prevent breast cancer.

|