Central California Alliance for Health | Living Healthy | June 2016

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2016 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
LIVING HEALTHY is published for the members and
community partners of CENTRAL CALIFORNIA ALLIANCE
FOR HEALTH, 1600 Green Hills Road, Suite 101, Scotts Valley,
CA 95066, telephone 831-430-5500 or 1-800-700-3874,
ext. 5505, website .
Information in LIVING HEALTHY comes from a wide range of
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specific content that may affect your health, please contact
your health care provider.
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Member Services Director
Editor
Health Education Coordinator III
Health Programs Supervisor
Jan Wolf
Erin Huang
Mao Moua
Deborah Pineda healthyliving
cancer
Breast cancer is the most
common type of cancer and
the second most common
cause of cancer death in women.
About 1 in 8 women will get
breast cancer at some time in
their life. The risk may be higher or
lower based on personal and family
history.
Men also get breast cancer, but
less often. About 1 man will get
breast cancer for every 100 women
who get breast cancer.
What increases my risk? The risk
of breast cancer increases with:
■ ■ Age—however, though most
women who get breast cancer
are over 50, it can occur in much
younger women.
■ ■ A family history of breast cancer
or a family history of other cancers.
■ ■ Having had breast cancer before
or having radiation to your chest
area.
■ ■ Being from an ethnic group that
has an increase in breast cancer
genes.
■ ■ Increased use of alcohol.
What are some common signs
of breast cancer?
■ ■ Any lump in the breast or armpit
■ ■ Breast or nipple pain or changes
in the way your breast or nipple
looks
■ ■ Nipple discharge (other than
breast milk)
Finding breast cancer early can
save lives. The best way to find
breast cancer is by having routine
mammograms.
How often should I get a
mammogram screening? For
women who are at lower risk
of breast cancer, the American
Cancer Society (ACS) advice is
for women to have the choice to
start screening every year as early
as age 40 if they want to. Yearly
mammograms should begin by
age 45 and can change to having
mammograms every other year at
age 55.
The ACS also recommends early
screening at age 35 and perhaps
screening with other tests such as
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
for women with increased risk,
such as:
■ ■ Family history of cancer
■ ■ Personal history of cancer
■ ■ Having been in contact with
radiation
A woman of any age who finds a
breast lump, breast skin changes or
abnormal liquid coming from her
nipple may need a mammogram
and should talk to her doctor.
To learn more about breast
cancer, visit the American Cancer
Society at www.cancer.org/
cancer/breastcancer or the
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention at www.cdc.gov/
cancer/breast.
Breast cancer: What you need to know