October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the World Health Organization, more than two million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. In fact, statistics show that one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.
Advances in treatment including surgical innovations are helping women and their health care teams personalize care and improve quality of life.
But what else can be done?
Over the past two decades, more and more women under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with breast cancer.
From a mammogram to an MRI, cancer screening can help women learn what situation they are in. Whether they are diagnosed with breast cancer or not, the screening can keep women safe from one of America’s most common forms of cancer.
Dr. M. Michele Blackwood, Northern Regional Director of Breast Services and Director of Breast Surgery for RWJBarnabas Health, says breast exams are so important.
And screening can begin as early as the age of 20.
“Based on personal history of either breast cancer or a pre-invasive type of cancer in the breast, a strong family history, a genetic predisposition to breast cancer or chest radiation, exams can become regular prior to the age of 30,” she said.
Decisions as to the age screening should start should be individualized because some may benefit from screening earlier.
Blackwood says that RWJBarnabas offers a variety of types of screenings. From classic to digital screening mammograms, computer-aided detection, and she said the health care system is also looking into AI.
“What AI does is — it doesn’t read your mammogram for you — but it can sort of circle something that brings the radiologist’s attention to an area. You still have a radiologist reading a mammogram, but it allows for a second look at a specific place.”
RWJ also offers screening ultrasound and diagnostic ultrasound, and for high-risk patients the health system also offers screening MRIs.
A patient is considered high risk if their statistical model says that that patient has a 20% or greater lifetime risk of breast cancer. Normal risk of breast cancer to age 90 is about 12% for American women.
“We have high risk programs throughout our system that are run by our breast surgeons and their nurse practitioners. What we do is we see these patients, and we do a breast exam at least once a year, sometimes twice a year. We oversee their breast imaging, pull it all together and take a greater look at these patients — which provides a more comfortable and individualized diagnosis.”
Not only that, but the knowledge also helps other family members.
“The other day, I saw a 50-year-old patient newly diagnosed with breast cancer who came in with her two sisters. Those sisters are now at higher risk for breast cancer, even if I can’t find a gene mutation. I now say to these sisters, ‘You need to be in our high-risk program. You need to come see us. Is your mom still alive? She should consider coming in.’ So, this way, you’re getting breast imaging radiologists — who solely do breast imaging. They don’t do chest X rays and CAT scans on the side — who literally know breasts.
“Is it a perfect science? Absolutely not. Nothing’s perfect in medicine or with humans, but it is a much better drill down.”
The good news is increased awareness and understanding, early diagnosis and advances in treatment have led to a decrease in advanced diagnoses and an increase in breast cancer survival rates, thanks to physicians and surgeons like Blackwood.
“You have to globally think, obviously care for your patients appropriately, but you also have to be more global about it. And I think we, we as breast surgeons in our system, I think we strive to do that.”
When asked for recommendations to prevent breast cancer, Blackwood said that first and foremost, knowledge is power. Number two thing she tells her patients is everything in moderation, meaning that, we can’t make a diet of fast food every day and think that we’re going to stay healthy. It just doesn’t work like that – so eat from the rainbow. And third, movement is important.
What are the risk factors?Â
- Age
- Hormones and childbirth
- Lifestyle choices: Alcohol and tobacco use are linked to increased cancer risk.
- Weight and physical activity: Obesity or weight gain after menopause and physical inactivity increase your risk.
- Previous breast disease
- Family history of cancer
While those are all helpful pieces of advice, Blackwood wants every individual to remember that it is not your fault if you develop cancer.
“Anything to the extreme is not good. I have a number of women who develop breast cancer, who seemingly eat well, and, who exercise, but develop cancer anyway. All we can do is find behaviors that we think could be changed to reduce our risk,” she said.
Early detection is crucial for breast cancer and can improve a woman’s overall prognosis. Breast health is too important to wait.