As breast cancer awareness month arrives every year, individuals may want to learn more about what they can be doing to prevent, screen, and avoid risks. Learning more about the realities of breast cancer, raising awareness for local support groups and charities, and finding ways to provide more access to screening and treatment is the goal of breast cancer awareness month, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Every woman over the age of 40 should be talking to their physician about getting a mammogram every one to two years says Erin Fleener, M.D. from the Cancer Clinic.
Breast cancer rates are higher among women who have taken birth control pills, estrogen supplements, or any kind of hormonal treatments over a long period of time, says Fleener. Additionally, obesity and excessive alcohol use are also risk factors, she says.
“Living a healthy lifestyle, exercising, and trying to build core strength and muscle strength over anything else is very important in trying to prevent breast cancer,” Fleener says. “The only real and approved test is the mammogram. Patients that are high risk or have genetic mutations that put them in high risk for breast cancer can also get an annual MRI of the breast.”
The self-breast exam is a little controversial, because it is not an absolute way of screening for breast cancer, says Fleener. However, some physicians do believe if you do that once a month that can be helpful in detecting lumps— especially if you are under the age that you should be getting mammograms, such as in your 20s and 30s, she says.
Being in an age that doesn’t call for a mammogram screening does not mean that an individual should let it go by the wayside, Fleener says. If anyone finds something is new or persistent, they should seek medical attention, she says.
“If you feel a lump in your breast and you go to your doctor, and they say it’s nothing, but it is persistent then you should pursue that and be your own advocate,” Fleener says. “If you know something is wrong, see a breast surgeon or take it further to make sure that it is nothing.”
It is important to dispel myths about age, screening, and gender when it comes to raising breast cancer awareness, Fleener says. Men can be diagnosed with breast cancer as well, and many people may not know that.
Locally there are several support groups such as The Pink Alliance and Here for the Girls; there are also occupational therapists in the Brazos valley that help with lymphedema risks and swelling if you have dealt with breast cancer surgery or radiation, she says.
Trusting your doctor and health team, listening to your body, and finding and assisting resources in your community are the most important things to keep in mind.
