Women are in high risk of getting brest cancer up to 1.4 million women are at risk in the united states. Women should get annual MRIs as well as mammograms. Also women who have brest cancer should still get MRIs as stated here, "...a new medical study suggests that all women newly diagnosed with breast cancer should get MRIs, too. The scans revealed cancers in the opposite breast that were missed by ordinary mammograms in 3 percent of these cancer survivors." not only do older women are at risk but also young women. You should still get it checked even if you show no signs of cancer. Here are some 7 things you should know about cancer which are provided from msn women's Health:
1. Weight gain
Many studies show that weight gain is a risk factor for breast cancer after menopause. An American Cancer Society study found that women who gained 20–30 pounds during adulthood (that is, after age 18) were 40% more likely to develop breast cancer after menopause than women who gained no more than 5 pounds. The link is estrogen, which is believed to promote the development of breast cancer. Fat tissue converts precursors in the body into estrogen, keeping the hormone in circulation even when ovarian production stops at menopause. What do you do? avoid gaining weight as an adult try to enter menopause with a healthy weight and if you are over wieght try to lose it.
2. Activity level
Many studies have shown that women who engage in regular physical activity have a lower risk of developing breast cancer compared with women who are sedentary. You may reduce your risk by 20%–30% by getting three to four hours of weekly exercise, from moderately intense (brisk walking and yoga, for example) to vigorous (such as jogging, cross-country skiing, and aerobic dance). Exercise also reduces the risk of recurrence if you have been treated for breast cancer.
3. Alcohol
Women who consume even a few drinks per week have an increased risk for breast cancer. It’s not known exactly why. Alcohol may raise estrogen levels, an important player in the development of breast cancer. It may interact with carcinogens or inhibit the body’s capacity to detoxify them.
4. Vitamin D
There’s mounting evidence that vitamin D helps protect against several types of cancer, including breast cancer. For example, one study found that women who got plenty of vitamin D in early life — either in their diet or by spending time outdoors, where sun exposure triggers vitamin D production in the skin — had a lower risk for breast cancer. Another investigation linked high blood levels of vitamin D with a 50% reduction in risk for breast cancer. Reaching those levels requires more than the recommended intake of 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D per day for women ages 50–70.
What to do? Experts have already begun to recommend 800–1,000 IU of vitamin D per day for adults, partly out of concern that we aren’t getting enough of the vitamin from sunlight to protect our bones and partly because of its association with reduced cancer risk. Natural food sources of vitamin D are limited, and not everyone can get the amount of sunlight needed to trigger adequate vitamin D production in the skin. The best bet is supplemental vitamin D. A standard multivitamin usually supplies 400 IU; you can get an extra 400 IU in a vitamin D supplement or in a calcium supplement containing vitamin D.
5.Medical risks
Lifetime exposure to estrogen is a risk factor for breast cancer, so there is some concern about women’s use of oral contraceptives and postmenopausal hormone therapy.
6. Breast density
Breasts are regarded as dense if they have less fat and more connective and glandular tissue. These features are more common in younger women’s breasts, but they are also found in many older women, especially those taking combined hormone therapy (estrogen and progestin). Breast density is also partly a heritable trait.
What to do? Unfortunately, breast tumors (both cancerous and noncancerous) can be difficult to distinguish against a background of dense breast tissue on a mammogram. That’s because tumors and dense tissue appear white; fatty tissue, on the other hand, looks darker and provides a contrast to the tumors. Digital mammography has been shown to improve cancer detection in women with dense breasts, because it allows the radiologist to fine-tune images so that tiny abnormalities stand out better. Ultrasound or MRI can also help answer questions raised by a suspicious mammogram. Much more needs to be learned about breast density before official recommendations can be made. In the meantime, if you have dense breasts, talk to your clinician about screening with digital mammography.
7. Chemoprevention
raloxifene (Evista) — already approved for preventing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women — works as well as tamoxifen in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer.
For more information go to http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100153897&wa=wsignin1.0
