Younger women can get breast cancer
Even more unsettling is that 85% of breast cancers are sporadic (non-hereditary) meaning women have little or no family history of the disease. There is no single risk factor that can cause a woman to develop breast cancer. But there are tools that help to better identify a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. These tools allow a woman and her doctor the chance at increased awareness.
- It enabled the woman to qualify for risk-reducing options including additional screening and medication that can detect breast cancer earlier, or reduce breast cancer incidence by more than 40%.
- It encouraged the woman to engage in lifestyle choices to help lower her breast cancer risk. Getting regular physical activity, eating nutritious food, maintaining a healthy weight, and limiting alcohol intake all aid in primary prevention.
- It empowered friends to communicate about breast cancer risks and self-care opportunities. Stay on top of monthly breast self-exams, a doctor’s care plan, your breast density, clinical breast exams, and recommended routine mammography screening.
We can empower each other to better understand our own personal risk of developing breast cancer
We can’t always prevent breast cancer, but we can do more to reduce excess risk and to raise self-awareness to detect it earlier. One in every four women over the age of 40 are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer based on clinical care thresholds. Take an additional proactive step in understanding your personalized risk of developing sporadic (non-hereditary) breast cancer with a risk assessment tool like GeneType for Breast Cancer.
