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Early Detection Best Weapon Against Breast Cancer

The best weapon against cancer is early detection. That's particularly true with women and the fear of breast cancer.

That always timely reminder comes from Monongahela Valley Hospital.

MVH and its Regional Cancer Center remind you that, with the help of a mammogram, lumps in the breast can be detected as much as five years before they can be found by normal physical examination. And cure rates improve greatly when cancer is discovered in that early stage.

According to the American Cancer Society in the US, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.

In this year alone, there will be 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 40,170 deaths from breast cancer. The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35.

The good news is that breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment.

Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Early detection is the best weapon women have against breast cancer. Breast self-examinations, combined with regular physical checkups, and mammography are the most important things a woman can do to protect herself.

Every woman 20 years of age and older should make breast self-examinations a part of her monthly routine as a good health habit. The best time for self-examination is approximately one week after the menstrual cycle. After menopause, women should check their breasts on the first day of the month as an easy reminder. After a hysterectomy, it is recommended that women consult with their doctor about the best time for breast self-examinations.

Most breast lumps are not cancer, but only a physician can make a diagnosis.

Women between the ages of 20 and 40 should have a physician examine their breasts every three years. For women over the age of 40, a physical examination is recommended annually.

Diagnostic testing also plays a major role in early breast cancer detection. Mammography, a low-dose X-ray technique, produces a sharp detailed picture of breast tissue. The use of mammograms can detect lumps in the breasts as much as five years before a lump can be detected during a normal physical examination.

The American Cancer society recommends that women between the ages of 35 and 39 have a baseline mammogram done to be used for later comparison. Women 40 to 49 are urged to have a mammogram every year or two, depending on the relative risk for developing the disease. Women over 50 should have a mammogram every year.

Through early detection techniques provided by mammography and self breast examinations, women can increase their survival rate to over 85 percent.

For additional information about breast self-examination and mammography, call the Breast Cancer Nurse Navigator at Monongahela Valley Hospital at 724-258-1455.