Download breast - American Institute for Cancer Research

About AICR
OUR VISION: We want to live in a world where no one develops a preventable cancer.
OUR MISSION: The American Institute for Cancer Research
champions the latest and most authoritative scientific
research from around the world on cancer prevention and
survival through diet, weight and physical activity, so that we
can help people make informed lifestyle choices to reduce
their cancer risk.
We have contributed over $105 million for innovative
research conducted at universities, hospitals and research
centers across the country. Find evidence-based tools and
information for lowering cancer risk, including AICR’s Recommendations for Cancer Prevention, at www.aicr.org.
Reduce Your Risk of
BREAST
CANCER
About the Continuous Update Project
As the U.S. charity in the World
Cancer Research Fund network,
we contribute to the Continuous
Update Project (CUP), an ongoing analysis of global scientific
research into the link between diet, physical activity, weight
and cancer.
The CUP produces periodic reports on the state of the
evidence linking various lifestyle factors to risk of specific
cancers. These reports will inform a major update of our
Recommendations for Cancer Prevention scheduled for 2017.
AICR Guidelines for Cancer Prevention
Questions and Answers
Contact Us
CancerPrevention: Together We Can
is an initiative of the American
Institute for Cancer Research.
Visit www.aicr.org/can-prevent
The choices you make about food, physical activity and weight
management can reduce your chances of developing cancer.
• Choose mostly plant foods, limit red meat and avoid
processed meat.
• Be physically active every day in any way for 30 minutes or more. Limit sedentary habits, like watching television.
• Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life.
Make a donation online at www.aicr.org; write to AICR, 1759
R Street, NW, P.O. Box 97167, Washington, DC 20090-7167;
or include a bequest in your will. For more information, contact our Gift Planning Department at 1-800-843-8114.
©American Institute for Cancer Research
Latest update, October 2014
AICR Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer.indd 1
Facebook
E4B-BHB
Stopping Cancer Series
Cover Photos
© Fotolia
Follow us on
@aicrtweets
“DOES EARLY DETECTION
REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?”
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the
most common cancer among women.
Approximately 232,670 new cases of
invasive breast cancer in women and
2,360 new cases in men are expected to be
diagnosed in the United States in 2014.
Yes. The sooner breast cancer is found, the
more successfully it can be treated. If a tumor
is detected while it is small and well-localized in
the breast tissue, the 5-year survival rate is 99
percent. But survival rates drop when the tumor
is large and has spread to lymph nodes or other
areas of the body.
“WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR BREAST CANCER?”
Age and health history can affect the risk of
developing breast cancer.
Anyone can develop breast cancer, but the
following factors put you at higher risk:
“HOW CAN I REDUCE MY
RISK OF BREAST CANCER?”
While no one can predict exactly who will develop breast cancer, there are ways to help
protect yourself. This pamphlet describes
specific, simple steps you can take that
may help you lower your breast cancer risk
through adopting a healthy lifestyle and getting regular screenings to detect early signs
of the disease.
“IF BREAST CANCER RUNS IN MY FAMILY, WILL I GET IT TOO?”
And always remember - do not smoke or chew tobacco.
AICRBlog
“HOW COMMON IS
BREAST CANCER?”
Family history is one factor that may
increase your risk of breast cancer, but it
does not guarantee that you will one day
have the disease. In fact, researchers
estimate that only about 5–10 percent of
breast cancers can be attributed to
identified inherited genetic factors.
•Being over age 50.
•Early onset of menstruation (before age 12).
•Age 30 or older at first childbirth or never having given birth.
•Having a close blood relative with breast cancer or personal history of breast cancer or
noncancerous breast disease.
•Treatment with radiation therapy as a child or young adult to the breast or chest.
•Dense breast tissue detected on a mammogram.
•Postmenopausal hormone use.
•Adult attained height.1
• Greater birth weight.2
Adult attained height is unlikely directly to modify the risk of cancer.
It is a marker for genetic, environmental, hormonal and also
nutritional factors affecting growth during the period from
preconception to completion of linear growth.
1
2
For premenopausal breast cancer only.
All Photos © Fotolia
11/25/14 11:54 AM
• Body fat. There is strong evidence that
being overweight increases risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Weight gain in
adulthood and weight gain at one’s waist
probably increase risk of the disease
in postmenopausal women. Maintain a
healthy weight throughout adulthood by
choosing a healthy, mostly plant-based diet
and engaging in daily physical activity.
• Physical activity. Evidence is
becoming stronger that physical
activity of all types – walking,
swimming, even gardening
and vigorous housecleaning – protects against
post-menopausal breast
cancer (as well as other
types of cancer). So
AICR recommends getting at least 30 minutes
of moderate physical
activity every day in any
way. Moderate physical activity is defined as
brisk enough to raise your
heart and breathing rates
but not so intense that you
cannot carry on a conversa-
AICR Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer.indd 2
tion. As your fitness level improves, aim for 60
minutes daily.
• Alcoholic drinks. The evidence is strong that
women’s risk for breast cancer increases with
greater alcohol consumption. For each standard
drink a day, there appears to be approximately an
11 percent increase in postmenopausal breast
cancer risk. AICR recommends if you drink at all,
limit the amount of alcohol to no more than one
standard-size drink per day.
• Breastfeeding. Evidence is also convincing that
breastfeeding protects mothers against both preand postmenopausal breast cancer. AICR recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants
exclusively for up to 6 months.
Early Detection Saves Lives
1. Breast Self-Exam (BSE). Many women use BSE
to detect breast lumps. However, research
does not show that BSE by itself
reduces the likelihood of dying from
breast cancer. There is no harm
in doing BSE every month, but
make sure you also get regular clinical breast exams and
mammograms (see below). If
you experience any changes
in your breasts that are unusual for you, consult your
doctor right away.
2. Clinical Breast Exam
(CBE). During a CBE, a
trained medical or health
professional will carefully
feel the breast/chest area
and under the arms for
lumps or other abnormalities. It is important to know
how your breasts usually look
and feel. If you feel any lumps or notice any other
changes, visit your doctor for an exam as soon as
possible.
Be Alert to Possible Symptoms
• Lump or thickening of the breast
• Breast pain (although this is usually not an indication of cancer)
• Dimpling or puckering of the skin
• Change in skin color or texture
• Swelling, redness or heat in the breast
• Discharge from the nipple
• Retraction of the nipple
• Scaly skin on or around the nipple
Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam preferably every 3 years. Starting
at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health
professional every year.
3. Mammogram. A mammogram is an x-ray of
the breast. Mammography is the most effective
tool available for early detection of breast cancer
because it may find tumors that are too small to
feel. Since mammography is not a perfect test,
it is still important to see your physician for a
regular CBE as well. The U.S. Preventive Services
Task Force recommends that women at average
risk should receive routine mammograms between
ages 50 and 74. (For women with high breast
cancer risk, or women who are symptomatic,
diagnostic mammograms may be recommended
at an earlier age by a physician.)
Mammograms are less likely to find breast
tumors in women younger than age 50 than in
older women. This is because younger women
have denser breast tissue, which appears white
on a mammogram. A tumor also appears white on
a mammogram, which makes it hard to find.
If you are at high risk for breast cancer, some experts advise yearly screenings with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammograms beginning
at age 30, but this decision should be made with
the help and advice of your health care provider.
Photos © Fotolia
Some of the choices you make every day
can lower your chances of developing the
disease. AICR’s expert report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of
Cancer: a Global Perspective and our Continuous Update Project found the following
risk factors most significant:
Photo © istock
What to Know
Photo © Fotolia
Diet and Lifestyle...
Important Risk Factors
You Can Control
Q: How many breast
cancers don’t have
to happen?
A: More than a third.
– AICR/WCRF, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention
11/25/14 11:54 AM