The Best Defense is Early Detection
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Georgia – Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among American women. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the United States in 2008, and approximately 40,480 women will die of the disease. Breast cancer death rates are declining. This decline is probably due to the result of earlier detection and improved treatment.

All women are at risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increase with age and can be due to genetics or a family history of breast cancer. But having a risk factor or even, several does not necessarily mean that a person will get the disease. Some women with one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while most women with breast cancer have no apparent risk.

Early detection is the best defense for breast cancer. The earlier the cancer is found, the better the chances that treatment will work.

The American Cancer Society has issued guidelines for finding breast cancer early in women without symptoms:

• Mammogram: Women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.
  
• Clinical Breast Exams: Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam as part of a regular exam by a health expert at least every three years. After age 40, women should have a breast exam every year.
  
• Breast self-exam: This is an option for women starting in their 20s. If you do a self-exam on a regular basis, you get to know how your breasts feel normally. Then you can more easily notice changes.

For more information on risk factors, symptoms, prevention and the early detection of breast cancer, visit www.cancer.org or call 1-800-ACS-2345.

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