Breast Cancer Prevention Tips

According to Texas Oncology, Texas ranks third in the United States in estimated new cases of breast cancer. Dr. V at Texas Oncology in Tyler says prevention is key to lowering the number of women that are diagnosed. Breast cancer is the second-deadliest cancer among American women and although it's not completely prevented, women can take steps to decrease risk and/or improve early detection. Regular screenings depending on your age is important, alongside a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise. These are just a few ways to lower the numbers.

Screening

• Women should check their breasts monthly. Report any changes to a physician immediately. 
• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam every three years. 
• Women in their 30s should discuss their breast cancer risk level with a physician to determine the most appropriate cancer screening options, including mammograms and MRI screenings. 
• Women age 40 and older should discuss individual risk factors with a physician to determine recommended timing and most appropriate screenings, including annual mammogram, annual clinical breast exam, and annual MRI screening. 
• Women age 50 and older should have a mammogram and a clinical breast exam at least every two years after discussion with her physician, and if recommended by a physician, an annual MRI screening. 

Lifestyle

• Regular exercise, limiting alcohol intake, and maintaining a healthy body weight may reduce the risk of breast cancer. 

Higher Risk

• Women with a family history of breast cancer should discuss genetic testing with their physicians. If genetic tests indicate a woman is BRCA-positive, there are a number of risk reduction strategies to discuss with her physician. 
• Women with a first degree relative who had breast cancer before age 50 should begin receiving mammograms 10 years before reaching that relative’s age at diagnosis.

Aspirin may cut risk of breast cancer recurrence

By Lara Salahi

Regular use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen may lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence in some overweight women, a new study found.

Researchers at the University of Texas took blood from 440 women who were diagnosed with invasive, estrogen receptor alpha-positive breast cancer. Nearly 26 percent of the women were overweight and 58 percent were obese. They re-created cancer cells, fat cells, and immune cells in the lab and injected the blood into these cells. Blood samples that were taken from overweight or obese women caused the cancer cells to grow faster than blood taken from women who were not overweight. Blood from the obese patients contained more fatty acids, which caused inflammation and promoted tumor growth, the study found.

The researchers then looked at the patients’ medical records and divided them between those who regularly took anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen — known as NSAIDs — and those who did not. Women with a body mass index greater than 30 who took NSAIDs reduced their rate of recurrence by 50 percent and were disease-free for more than two years longer than women who didn’t take the pills.

The findings suggest that taking NSAIDs could help reduce inflammation in tumor cells, especially among overweight or obese breast patients, the researchers wrote.

BOTTOM LINE: Regular use of anti-inflammatory drugs may lower the risk for breast cancer recurrence among some women.

CAUTIONS: The study cannot determine which overweight women will benefit from taking NSAIDs.