Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women (followed by lung and colorectal). The statistics are staggering with one of every eight women expecting to face breast cancer in her lifetime. Women in the Bay Area seem to have a higher risk than in other parts of the country. Chances are that this disease will touch every one of us, whether by having a loved one diagnosed or by having to fight it ourselves.

Factors shown to increase the risk of female cancers include: hormonal (i.e. DES), reproductive, lifestyle, environmental, nutrition, and mental/emotional. The good news is there are some modifiable factors that can decrease your risk:

Exercise – a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of all female cancers. The risk of breast cancer decreases in proportion to the amount of exercise performed. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine (1997) showed exercise decreased the risk by 52% in premenopausal women and 22% in postmenopausal women. Regular exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes per day is a good foundation to health. For people who walk for exercise, count your steps and aim for 10,000 a day. Three or more hours of exercise a week throughout a woman’s reproductive life may cut her risk of breast cancer by as much as half.

Obesity – BMI (body mass index) correlates inversely with cancer incidence in premenopausal women; having a BMI of <22.8 revealed a 72% reduction in breast cancer risk compared to sedentary counterparts.

Smoking – increases the risk of all female cancers;

Environmental pollutants – pesticides, chlorinated solvents, PCBs, and some beauty parlor chemicals are linked to increased risk of breast cancer;

Alcohol (>2 drinks per day) – increases the risk of breast cancer by as much as 30%;

Nutrition – high intake of refined carbohydrates and low intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber increases the risk of female cancers.

Mental/emotional – personality types that are melancholic, overly polite, apologetic, over-cooperative, over-nice, over-anxious, painfully sensitive, or passive are more prone to cancer. Additional factors include poor coping skills, Type C personality (holds anger inside; non-expression of emotions), and stressful life events can increase the risk of breast cancer (and other cancers). Cancer survivors express emotions and deal well with stress.

Early detection – In 2002, new guidelines were set for mammography. Women ages 40-49 are urged to have a mammogram every year while women age 50 and older may be able to reduce their screenings to every one to two years. The reasoning: younger women tend to have faster growing cancers, while women 50 and older tend to have slower growing cancers due to slower estrogen production. Mammograms become more accurate because the fibrous tissue in the breast has been replaced with fat as women age. However, screening daughters of breast cancer patients should begin 10 years younger than the age the mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Thermography is another screening option that is becoming more accurate and acceptable to use. However, tests results may vary depending upon the skill of the person reading the thermograms and the equipment used.

Additional considerations – women who have high serum DHEA-S levels may fail to respond to Tamoxifen (or similar hormonal therapy). Some tumors use DHEA-S as an estrogen (the process is aromatization in breast tissue of DHEA into estrogen). If DHEA-S levels are <90, it could stop tumor progression for years.

If you or someone you love is concerned about the risk of breast or other cancers, please contact the office to schedule a health consultation at (415) 785-3347.