Image courtesy of the National Cancer Institute
There’s good news on the breast cancer front: Advances in medicine are helping more women than ever survive a breast cancer diagnosis.
Death rates for the disease have been declining for nearly 30 years thanks to better screening and advances in treatment. The survival rate for women diagnosed with breast cancer is now around 90 percent, and even higher when it is detected in the earliest stages.
Patient care is improving, too, with oncologists now often able to personalize a breast cancer diagnosis and its treatment.
Yet the incidence of breast cancer remains stubbornly consistent. Roughly 1 in 8 women will develop the disease over the course of her lifetime. Men also can contract the disease. So how best to protect yourself? For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we checked with experts across the University of California for the latest advice.
Healthy habits help
Scientists still don’t know the exact causes of breast cancer, but it’s becoming clear that multiple factors often interact to contribute to the disease.
Some of the biggest risk factors are ones you can’t control, like genetics or age. But there are plenty of ways you can take action to reduce your risk:
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco products: An analysis of data from 53 studies found that for each alcoholic drink consumed per day, the relative risk of breast cancer increased by about 7 percent; women who had two to three alcoholic drinks per day had a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer;
- Get regular exercise: In one study from the Women’s Health Initiative, as little as 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking reduced a woman’s breast cancer risk by 18 percent; the American Cancer Society recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week; and
- Maintain a healthy body weight: Women who are overweight or obese after menopause have a 30 to 60 percent higher breast cancer risk.
Want to know more? Check out this interactive breast cancer causation model created by a UC San Francisco team led by Robert Hiatt and funded through UC’s California Breast Cancer Research Program. It illustrates the various factors that influence breast cancer risk.
Surprising factors
Some surprising research over the past year points to other ways to limit breast cancer risk, including limiting late night snacking and avoiding personal care products that contain hormone-disrupting chemicals.