Our journey to discover more about breast cancer has been long, but I hope you have learned something that will prevent this disease from taking a hold of your life and those around you. Our breast cancer series cover many areas of this topic including risk factors, symptoms, screening methods, biopsy types, genetic testing and treatment for the most common breast cancer types, specifically DCIS and invasive breast cancer. Let’s review these topics one more time.

As we discussed before, there are words in your biopsy report that may be difficult to understand, but there are some key phrases you can learn to help uncover the meaning of this report. Ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer are the two most common types of breast cancer. If you would like to know more about ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, read our blog “What is DCIS?” Otherwise, let’s find out more about invasive breast cancer and discover its meaning.

There are words in your biopsy report that may be difficult to understand, but there are some key phrases you can learn to help unravel the meaning of this report. First, you will need to become familiar with two terms, which are ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast cancer. Let’s find out about ductal carcinoma in situ.

There are women and men who are at increased risk for breast cancer. In this group, genetic testing for the BRCA mutation should be a consideration. In this way, other cancers caused by the BRCA mutation can be detected earlier and family members can be empowered to know their cancer risk as well. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you doctor will tell you of you need genetic testing. But for those who are have not been diagnosed with breast cancer, there are some clues you can use to help determine of you need genetic testing.

Breast cancer may present in a variety of ways, yet our goal is to detect breast cancer before symptoms begin. In fact, most breast cancers are discovered when a woman has no symptoms. Nonetheless, up to 15% of woman will have breast cancer without a mass found on mammogram. Additionally, another 30% of woman may have a mass found between mammograms. Knowing the signs of breast cancer is an extra step you can step to help know if you at risk for this disease.

There are some women that are at the highest risk to develop breast cancer. These women tend to have a hereditary form of breast. The most common form of hereditary breast is that which involves the BRCA mutation. BRCA stand for the BReast CAncer gene. There are two BRCA mutations that have been identified. Theses gene are named BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. Women with the BRCA 1 or 2 gene mutation have a 50 – 87% risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. These women also have a 20 -45% chance of developing ovarian cancer in their lifetime.

There are a variety of factors that can cause someone to be at increased risk for breast cancer. Risks can be divided into factors we can change and others we cannot. Lifetime exposure to estrogen also plays a role in breast cancer risk. By familiarizing yourself with breast cancer risk, you are better able to understand lifestyle changes that can improve your chances of avoiding a breast cancer diagnosis.

The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer in the United States is about 12%. In other words, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. Breast cancer risk increases with age. Furthermore, the risk of breast cancer in each age group is expressed as a percentage over 10 years. Let’s take a look at this risk for each age group.

When your doctor tells you that your mammogram is “positive” or “abnormal,” negative emotions and thoughts may flood your mind. Yet, take a step back, know your mammogram score and become empowered to know the next steps. Let’s find out more about when you might need a biopsy.

Screening for breast cancer is performed with a mammogram. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast that can detect either harmless cysts or calcium build up that may be concerning for cancer. A mammogram result is expressed as a BIRADS score. Based on the BIRADS score, some breast masses need a biopsy and others don’t. Let’s find out what this BIRADS score means.

We have just finished our breast cancer series! Take a listen to our first podcast in the series about breast cancer facts and read our blog. Remember breast is the most cancer amongst women in the United States. About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. This comes to about 12% of women. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide breast cancer is the most common cancer related death amongst women. Let’s discover more interesting facts about breast cancer symptoms, screening and risk factors.

Even during the coronavirus pandemic, it remains important to acknowledge breast cancer awareness month. Each day approximately 100 women will die from breast cancer in the United States. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide…