What can I do to decrease my risk of breast cancer?

What can I do to decrease my risk of breast cancer?

Women with atypical hyperplasia may benefit greatly from taking a five-year course of certain medications. These medications block estrogen and help decrease the risk of estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancer. The effects can remain for up to 15 years after taking them.

Tamoxifen (Nolvadex®) is recommended for women who aren’t yet in menopause. Other drugs are recommended for women in menopause. Menopause is defined as the absence of your menstrual period for 12 months. The medications for menopausal women are:

• Raloxifene (Evista®).
• Exemestane (Aromasin®).
• Anastrozole (Arimidex®).

All of these medications have some side effects. However, the number of serious side effects is very low.

You’ll have to have a detailed discussion with your healthcare provider to determine if these medications or other treatments are right for you. In some extreme cases, risk-reducing mastectomies (removal of the breasts) are considered. However, this isn’t a routine recommendation.

It’s helpful to become familiar with your own breast tissue to help identify changes that should be reported to your provider. Therefore do your best to perform self-breast checks, also called self-breast awareness.

Obesity is a known risk factor for breast cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight and active lifestyle will help to decrease one’s risk. Drinking alcohol is an under-recognized risk factor for breast cancer. Drinking three to six alcoholic beverages per week, on a regular basis, can increase the risk of breast cancer an additional 15%. Therefore, avoid or minimize alcohol intake to less than one glass per day. Smoking is a known risk factor, not just for breast cancer, but other cancers and illnesses (heart and lung disease; increases the aging process). Do your best to avoid smoking, including second hand smoke.