UPPER PENINSULA, Mich. (WZMQ) – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, about 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed at some point in their life. That’s 13% of the female population.
This year, approximately 42,000 women will die from breast cancer. According to the CDC, about 1 in 100 men are also diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detection is key for beginning treatment.
“Finding something small, even though it may be cancer, is going to make the treatment process a lot of times a lot more straightforward,” said Dr. Cecilia Stroede, a board-certified breast surgeon at Aspirus Breast Care Specialist.
Dr. Stroede said there is great benefit in finding even a small lump, sooner than later. A mass can be as small as three to four millimeters– smaller than a pea. While we may think of a lump as the telltale sign, Dr. Stroede said breast cancer may also manifest in other ways.
“Asymmetry in the breast, so texture differences in one breast and not in the other are relevant,” she said. “I see patients sometimes that come in with pretty significant texture difference but there isn’t a mass, per se, and they get the idea that that’s ok then because there isn’t the mass, but texture difference is significant.”
According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the five-year survival rate of early stage breast cancer that has not metastasized is 99%, and women who receive regular screenings have a 26% lower breast cancer death rate than women who do not.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women over 40 get mammograms every two years in addition to monthly self-exams.
“The risk assessment process involves many different things– breast density, and then there’s family history, sometimes we do genetic testing, and then a review of modifiable risk factors, which are lifestyle-related,” Dr. Stroede said.
Those lifestyle changes include eating a healthy diet– Dr. Stroede recommends a Mediterranean diet– also getting exercise and reducing alcohol intake can lead to an overall healthy lifestyle and lower your risk for breast cancer.
