what can be done to prevent breast cancer
What is prevention?
Cancer prevention is activity taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer in a group or population is lowered. Hopefully, this volition reduce the brunt of cancer and lower the number of deaths caused by cancer.
Cancer is not a single affliction merely a group of related diseases. Our genes, lifestyle, and the surround around us work together to increase or decrease our risk of getting cancer. Each person'south cancer adventure is made up of a combination of these factors.
Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.
Some chance factors for cancer can exist avoided, just many cannot. For case, both smoking and inheriting certain genes are run a risk factors for some types of cancer, simply only smoking can exist avoided. Regular exercise and a healthy diet may be protective factors for some types of cancer. Fugitive risk factors and increasing protective factors may lower your gamble but it does not mean that you will not get cancer.
Dissimilar ways to prevent cancer are being studied, including:
- Changing lifestyle or eating habits.
- Avoiding things known to cause cancer.
- Taking medicine to care for a precancerous status or to keep cancer from starting.
- Risk-reducing surgery.
General Information Well-nigh Breast Cancer
Cardinal Points
- Chest cancer is a disease in which cancerous (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
- Breast cancer is the second nigh mutual type of cancer in American women.
Breast cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the breast.
The breast is made upwards of lobes and ducts. Each chest has fifteen to twenty sections called lobes, which have many smaller sections chosen lobules. Lobules end in dozens of tiny bulbs that can make milk. The lobes, lobules, and bulbs are linked by thin tubes called ducts.
Each breast besides has blood vessels and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels bear an near colorless, watery fluid called lymph. Lymph vessels carry lymph between lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that filter lymph and shop white blood cells that help fight infection and disease. Groups of lymph nodes are institute near the breast in the axilla (under the arm), above the collarbone, and in the chest.
See the post-obit PDQ summaries for more data about chest cancer:
Breast cancer is the 2d most common type of cancer in American women.
Women in the Usa become breast cancer more than than whatsoever other blazon of cancer except skin cancer. Chest cancer is second to lung cancer as a cause of cancer decease in American women. Deaths from chest cancer have decreased slightly each year between 2013 and 2018. Breast cancer also occurs in men, but the number of new cases is small.
Breast Cancer Prevention
Key Points
- Fugitive chance factors and increasing protective factors may assist prevent cancer.
- The post-obit are risk factors for breast cancer:
- Older age
- A personal history of chest cancer or benign (noncancer) chest disease
- Inherited risk of breast cancer
- Dense breast tissue
- Reproductive history resulting in greater exposure to estrogen
- Taking hormone therapy for symptoms of menopause
- Radiation therapy to the breast or breast
- Obesity
- Drinking booze
- The post-obit are protective factors for breast cancer:
- Reproductive history resulting in less exposure to estrogen
- Taking estrogen-merely hormone therapy after hysterectomy, selective estrogen receptor modulators, or aromatase inhibitors and inactivators
- Estrogen-only hormone therapy subsequently hysterectomy
- Selective estrogen receptor modulators
- Aromatase inhibitors and inactivators
- Risk-reducing or safety mastectomy
- Ovarian ablation
- Getting enough practise
- Information technology is non clear whether the following touch the risk of breast cancer:
- Hormonal contraceptives
- Chemicals in the environment
- Studies accept shown that some factors have little or no effect on the run a risk of breast cancer.
- Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to forestall cancer.
- New ways to prevent breast cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
Avoiding adventure factors and increasing protective factors may help prevent cancer.
Avoiding cancer risk factors may help prevent sure cancers. Chance factors include smoking, being overweight, and not getting enough do. Increasing protective factors such as quitting smoking and exercising may also help prevent some cancers. Talk to your md or other wellness care professional virtually how you might lower your risk of cancer.
NCI's Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool uses a woman's risk factors to estimate her run a risk for chest cancer during the next 5 years and up to age 90. This online tool is meant to be used by a health care provider. For more than information on breast cancer hazard, telephone call 1-800-4-CANCER.
The post-obit are chance factors for breast cancer:
Older age
Besides being a woman, older age is the main hazard factor for breast cancer. The run a risk of getting breast cancer increases as a woman gets older.
A personal history of breast cancer or benign (noncancer) breast disease
Women with any of the post-obit have an increased adventure of breast cancer:
Inherited risk of breast cancer
Women with a family unit history of breast cancer in a outset-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) have an increased run a risk of breast cancer.
Women who have inherited changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes or in certain other genes have a higher risk of breast cancer. The hazard of breast cancer acquired by inherited factor changes depends on the type of gene mutation, family history of cancer, and other factors.
Dense breast tissue
Having breast tissue that is dense on a mammogram is a gene in breast cancer adventure. The level of risk depends on how dense the breast tissue is. Women with very dumbo breasts have a higher adventure of breast cancer than women with low breast density.
Increased chest density is often an inherited trait, merely it may also occur in women who have not had children, have a first pregnancy belatedly in life, take postmenopausal hormones, or drink booze.
Reproductive history resulting in greater exposure to estrogen
Estrogen is a hormone made by the body. It helps the torso develop and maintain female sex activity characteristics. Beingness exposed to estrogen over a long time may increase the chance of breast cancer. Estrogen levels are highest during the years a woman is menstruating.
The following reproductive factors increase the length of time a woman's chest tissue is exposed to estrogen and may increment the risk of breast cancer:
- Early menstruation: Start to take menstrual periods before age 12 increases the number of years the breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.
- Starting menopause at a later age: The more years a woman menstruates, the longer her breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.
- Older age at nascence of first child or never having given birth: Pregnancy lowers a adult female'south lifetime number of menstrual cycles. Breast tissue is exposed to more estrogen for longer periods of time in women who become meaning for the first fourth dimension after age 35 or who never get significant.
Taking hormone therapy for symptoms of menopause
Hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, can be made into a pill course in a laboratory. Estrogen, progestin, or both may be given to replace the estrogen no longer made by the ovaries in postmenopausal women or women who have had their ovaries removed. This is called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or hormone therapy (HT). Women who take estrogen only menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) take a college risk of chest cancer. This is especially true for women who began estrogen only MHT close to the fourth dimension of menopause. The risk of breast cancer does not decrease later on women cease taking estrogen. Combination HT is estrogen combined with progestin. This blazon of MHT increases the gamble of breast cancer. Studies show that when women stop taking estrogen combined with progestin, the take chances of breast cancer decreases.
Radiation therapy to the breast or breast
Radiation therapy to the breast for the treatment of cancer increases the risk of chest cancer, starting 10 years later treatment. The take chances of chest cancer depends on the dose of radiation and the historic period at which it is given. The take chances is highest if radiations handling was used during puberty, when breasts are forming.
Radiation therapy to care for cancer in 1 breast does not appear to increase the risk of cancer in the other breast.
For women who have inherited changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, exposure to radiation, such as that from chest 10-rays, may further increment the take chances of breast cancer, especially in women who were x-rayed before 20 years of age.
Obesity
Obesity increases the risk of chest cancer, especially in postmenopausal women who have non used hormone replacement therapy.
Drinking booze
Drinking alcohol increases the run a risk of breast cancer. The level of risk rises as the amount of alcohol consumed rises.
The post-obit are protective factors for breast cancer:
Reproductive history resulting in less exposure to estrogen
A woman'southward reproductive history can affect the length of fourth dimension her breast tissue is exposed to estrogen. Early onset of menstruation, belatedly onset of menopause, afterward age at starting time pregnancy, and never having given birth accept been linked to an increase in estrogen exposure and breast cancer risk. The following reproductive factors decrease the length of fourth dimension a woman's breast tissue is exposed to estrogen and may help foreclose breast cancer:
- Early on pregnancy: Estrogen levels are lower during pregnancy. Women who have a total-term pregnancy before historic period twenty have a lower take a chance of breast cancer than women who have not had children or who requite nativity to their first kid after historic period 35.
- Breast-feeding: Estrogen levels may remain lower while a woman is breast-feeding. Women who breastfed have a lower gamble of breast cancer than women who have had children simply did not breastfeed.
Taking estrogen-only hormone therapy after hysterectomy, selective estrogen receptor modulators, or aromatase inhibitors and inactivators
Estrogen-only hormone therapy after hysterectomy
Hormone therapy with estrogen only may be given to women who accept had a hysterectomy. In these women, estrogen-only therapy afterward menopause may decrease the adventure of breast cancer. There is an increased risk of stroke and eye and blood vessel affliction in postmenopausal women who accept estrogen after a hysterectomy.
Selective estrogen receptor modulators
Tamoxifen and raloxifene belong to the family of drugs called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). SERMs act similar estrogen on some tissues in the trunk, but cake the effect of estrogen on other tissues.
Handling with tamoxifen lowers the take chances of estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ in premenopausal and postmenopausal women at high risk. Tamoxifen is also used to care for metastatic chest cancer and to prevent cancer from recurring after surgery to remove breast tumors. Treatment with raloxifene besides lowers the risk of chest cancer in postmenopausal women. With either drug, the reduced adventure lasts for several years or longer after treatment is stopped. Lower rates of broken bones take been noted in patients taking raloxifene.
Taking tamoxifen increases the risk of hot flashes, endometrial cancer, stroke, cataracts, and blood clots (especially in the lungs and legs). The risk of having these issues increases markedly in women older than 50 years compared with younger women. Women younger than 50 years who have a loftier risk of breast cancer may do good the near from taking tamoxifen. The risk of endometrial cancer lasts for 5 years after tamoxifen is stopped, but the risk of cataracts or blood clots does not final long.. Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this drug.
Taking raloxifene increases the risk of claret clots in the lungs and legs but does non appear to increment the take a chance of endometrial cancer. In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (decreased os density), raloxifene lowers the gamble of breast cancer for women who accept a loftier or low run a risk of chest cancer. It is non known if raloxifene would take the same effect in women who do not have osteoporosis. Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this drug.
Other SERMs are being studied in clinical trials.
Aromatase inhibitors and inactivators
Aromatase inhibitors (anastrozole, letrozole) and inactivators (exemestane) lower the risk of recurrence and of new breast cancers in women who accept a history of breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors too decrease the hazard of breast cancer in women with the post-obit weather condition:
- Postmenopausal women with a personal history of chest cancer.
- Women with no personal history of breast cancer who are 60 years and older, accept a history of ductal carcinoma in situ with mastectomy, or accept a high risk of breast cancer based on the Gail model tool (a tool used to approximate the risk of breast cancer).
In women with an increased risk of breast cancer, taking aromatase inhibitors decreases the amount of estrogen made by the body. Before menopause, estrogen is fabricated past the ovaries and other tissues in a woman'south body, including the brain, fat tissue, and peel. After menopause, the ovaries stop making estrogen, but the other tissues practice non. Aromatase inhibitors block the activity of an enzyme called aromatase, which is used to make all of the body's estrogen. Aromatase inactivators stop the enzyme from working.
Possible harms from taking aromatase inhibitors include muscle and joint pain, osteoporosis, hot flashes, and feeling very tired.
Risk-reducing or rubber mastectomy
Some women who have a high chance of breast cancer may choose to take a risk-reducing or prophylactic mastectomy (the removal of one or both breasts when there are no signs of cancer). After surgery, the chance of breast cancer becomes much lower in these women and most experience less broken-hearted about their risk of breast cancer. Some women diagnosed with chest cancer may decide to have a healthy breast removed at the aforementioned time the breast with cancer is removed. This is chosen contralateral condom mastectomy. All the same, it is very important to accept a cancer risk cess and counseling nearly the unlike ways to prevent breast cancer before making any decision about surgery.
Ovarian ablation
The ovaries make about of the estrogen that is fabricated past the torso. Treatments that finish or lower the corporeality of estrogen fabricated past the ovaries include surgery to remove the ovaries, radiation therapy, or taking certain drugs. This is chosen ovarian ablation.
Premenopausal women who have a high risk of breast cancer due to sure changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may choose to have a risk-reducing oophorectomy (the removal of both ovaries when there are no signs of cancer). This decreases the amount of estrogen made by the body and lowers the risk of breast cancer. Adventure-reducing oophorectomy also lowers the risk of breast cancer in average-take a chance premenopausal women and in women with an increased chance of breast cancer due to radiations to the chest. Nevertheless, it is very important to accept a cancer risk assessment and counseling before making this decision. The sudden drop in estrogen levels may cause the symptoms of menopause to begin. These include hot flashes, trouble sleeping, anxiety, and depression. Long-term effects include decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, and decreased bone density.
Getting enough practice
Women who accept part in physical exercise have a lower hazard of breast cancer.
It is non clear whether the following affect the risk of chest cancer:
Hormonal contraceptives
Hormonal contraceptives contain estrogen or estrogen and progestin. Some studies have shown that women who are electric current or contempo users of hormonal contraceptives may have a slight increase in breast cancer risk. Other studies have not shown an increased take chances of breast cancer in women using hormonal contraceptives.
In 1 study, the risk of chest cancer slightly increased the longer a woman used hormonal contraceptives. Another written report showed that the slight increase in chest cancer risk decreased over time when women stopped using hormonal contraceptives.
More studies are needed to know whether hormonal contraceptives affect a adult female'south risk of breast cancer.
Chemicals in the surroundings
Scientists are studying whether exposure to chemicals in the environs may increment a adult female'south risk of breast cancer. Studies of this kind can exist hard to conduct and interpret for many reasons:
- It is hard to determine the specific chemicals people have been exposed to in the past. It can take decades after a potential exposure before cancer develops, and a person may not exist aware of or remember the past exposure.
- Even if a chemical is shown in a laboratory test to cause cancer, this does not necessarily mean it volition cause cancer in people exposed to that chemic in the surround. A chemical may crusade cancer when tested at high levels in laboratory studies but not at the lower levels seen in the surround.
- Individual chemicals are likely to crusade only a modest increase in adventure, and it can exist difficult to detect that increase in the context of the other factors that may influence a woman's risk of breast cancer.
These reasons make information technology difficult to know which chemicals, if whatever, may increase the adventure of breast cancer. More than studies are needed to know whether chemicals in the surround impact a woman's run a risk of chest cancer. For more than data, encounter Environmental Carcinogens and Cancer Risk.
Studies have shown that some factors have little or no effect on the risk of breast cancer.
The following have fiddling or no issue on the risk of breast cancer:
- Having an ballgame.
- Making nutrition changes such as eating less fat or more fruits and vegetables.
- Taking vitamins, including fenretinide (a type of vitamin A).
- Cigarette smoking, both active and passive (inhaling secondhand smoke).
- Using underarm deodorant or antiperspirant.
- Taking statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs).
- Taking bisphosphonates (drugs used to treat osteoporosis and hypercalcemia) past mouth or past intravenous infusion.
- Changes in your cyclic rhythm (physical, mental, and behavioral changes that are mainly affected by darkness and light in 24 60 minutes cycles), which may be affected by working night shifts or the amount of light in your bedroom at dark.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to study ways to forestall cancer.
Cancer prevention clinical trials are used to report ways to lower the gamble of developing sure types of cancer. Some cancer prevention trials are conducted with healthy people who have not had cancer just who accept an increased take a chance for cancer. Other prevention trials are conducted with people who have had cancer and are trying to prevent another cancer of the same type or to lower their take a chance of developing a new type of cancer. Other trials are washed with salubrious volunteers who are not known to have any risk factors for cancer.
The purpose of some cancer prevention clinical trials is to find out whether actions people accept tin prevent cancer. These may include exercising more or quitting smoking or taking certain medicines, vitamins, minerals, or food supplements.
New ways to prevent breast cancer are being studied in clinical trials.
Data about clinical trials supported by NCI can be plant on NCI'due south clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported past other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
About This PDQ Summary
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Physician Data Query (PDQ) is the National Cancer Plant'south (NCI's) comprehensive cancer data database. The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, handling, supportive care, and complementary and culling medicine. Near summaries come in two versions. The health professional versions have detailed data written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-sympathise, nontechnical language. Both versions take cancer information that is authentic and up to date and most versions are also bachelor in Castilian.
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Purpose of This Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary has current data about breast cancer prevention. It is meant to inform and help patients, families, and caregivers. It does non give formal guidelines or recommendations for making decisions well-nigh health care.
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Editorial Boards write the PDQ cancer information summaries and keep them up to date. These Boards are made up of experts in cancer treatment and other specialties related to cancer. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made when in that location is new data. The date on each summary ("Updated") is the date of the most recent change.
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Clinical Trial Data
A clinical trial is a written report to reply a scientific question, such every bit whether 1 treatment is amend than some other. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to observe new and improve ways to help cancer patients. During treatment clinical trials, data is collected about the effects of a new handling and how well information technology works. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients may desire to call up about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started handling.
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PDQ® Screening and Prevention Editorial Lath. PDQ Breast Cancer Prevention. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Constitute. Updated <MM/DD/YYYY>. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/patient/chest-prevention-pdq. Accessed <MM/DD/YYYY>. [PMID: 26389410]
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