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In Your 20s You Should … Get Comfortable With Your Breasts
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“It’s important to start early with regular breast checks,” saysDr. Heather Richardson, mastectomy surgeon atBedford Breast Center. “You usually want to perform these self-exams at day 7-10 of your period, when the tissue is calmest and even.”
In your 20s, your breast tissue is usually at its most dense, lumpy and complicated, that you get used to what your tissue feels like. “The more you appreciate the way your tissue normally feels like, the more likely you are to sense a change,” Richardson says, noting that it is normal to feel rubbery, tender lumps.
Things to look out for:
02of 12In Your 20s You Should … Be Aware of Your Family HistoryGettyWhen you’re aware of your family history and the potential presence of breast cancer, you can more accurately determine if you should be screened for breast cancer at a younger age, or get a genetic test. (“Father’s history is just as important as mother’s,” Dr. Richardson says.)Dr. Hunt explains, “Women who have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer can have gene mutations, especially in BRCA1 and BRCA2, and so if their family does have a history of breast or ovarian cancer, they need to know that. Depending on age of presentation of their other family members, even women in their 20s can get breast cancer.“Dr. Richardson echoes that sentiment: “Talk to your relatives and get to the bottom of your family history. This is especially important for people of color and people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage because those patient populations have a higher risk of having hereditary disease. And especially people of color have a higher risk of having younger, more deadly cancers.”
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In Your 20s You Should … Be Aware of Your Family History
When you’re aware of your family history and the potential presence of breast cancer, you can more accurately determine if you should be screened for breast cancer at a younger age, or get a genetic test. (“Father’s history is just as important as mother’s,” Dr. Richardson says.)
Dr. Hunt explains, “Women who have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer can have gene mutations, especially in BRCA1 and BRCA2, and so if their family does have a history of breast or ovarian cancer, they need to know that. Depending on age of presentation of their other family members, even women in their 20s can get breast cancer.”
Dr. Richardson echoes that sentiment: “Talk to your relatives and get to the bottom of your family history. This is especially important for people of color and people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage because those patient populations have a higher risk of having hereditary disease. And especially people of color have a higher risk of having younger, more deadly cancers.”
03of 12In Your 20s You Should … Talk to Your DoctorGettyAs part of your annual gynecologist appointment, you should expect to receive a breast exam; this is the time to open up dialogue about your breast health, especially if you have noticed changes in your breasts while conducting self-examinations, have a history of breast or ovarian cancer in your family or are a person of color.Dr. Hunt says being prepared with your full family history can help your doctor know if you’re a candidate for advanced screenings. “Sometimes, when I see individuals who have a lot of cancer in their family, they never really talked to anyone about whether or not they are good candidates for genetic testing,” she says. “Whether you’re in your 20s or your 30s or even 40s, it’s really important that people know about their family history and other risk factors.“Dr. Hunt adds that “If you were treated for lymphoma in your teens or early 20s, you may be a candidate for increased screening with MRIs as well.”
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In Your 20s You Should … Talk to Your Doctor
As part of your annual gynecologist appointment, you should expect to receive a breast exam; this is the time to open up dialogue about your breast health, especially if you have noticed changes in your breasts while conducting self-examinations, have a history of breast or ovarian cancer in your family or are a person of color.
Dr. Hunt says being prepared with your full family history can help your doctor know if you’re a candidate for advanced screenings. “Sometimes, when I see individuals who have a lot of cancer in their family, they never really talked to anyone about whether or not they are good candidates for genetic testing,” she says. “Whether you’re in your 20s or your 30s or even 40s, it’s really important that people know about their family history and other risk factors.”
Dr. Hunt adds that “If you were treated for lymphoma in your teens or early 20s, you may be a candidate for increased screening with MRIs as well.”
04of 12In Your 20 and 30s You Should … Adopt Healthy Habits EarlyGettyTaking care of your overall health is important to prevention of breast cancer. Dr. Richardson gives the following advice to help lower your risk factors:Lay down the foundation of exercising regularly.Keep your BMI down and a healthy body weight.Avoid alcohol.Keep red meat and dairy consumption to a minimum and try to maximize a plant-based diet.Dr. Richardson suggests “one cup of soy a day andground flax seed— it’s one of the only food sources of lignans, which are incredibly protective of the breast tissue. They act like plant-based estrogen and calm the breast tissue down and really soothe it. Also, nice, high vitamin D levels.”
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In Your 20 and 30s You Should … Adopt Healthy Habits Early
Taking care of your overall health is important to prevention of breast cancer. Dr. Richardson gives the following advice to help lower your risk factors:
05of 12In Your 30s You Should … Calculate Your RiskGettyIf you hadn’t already been flagged as having an elevated risk (for family history or gene mutations), in your 30s, you can begin to calculate your risk for developing breast cancer. You can do this either with the help of your doctor or with accredited online tools.“National Cancer Institute hasa risk calculatorthat is available for all women,” says Dr. Hunt. “It calculates the risk of breast cancer for the next 5 years and also for your lifetime risk.“That knowledge can be useful to formulate a plan for your health. “Once you know your risk and whether you’re at average risk or increased risk, what can you do to reduce your risk?” she says. “For each individual, that is going to be a different plan.”
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In Your 30s You Should … Calculate Your Risk
If you hadn’t already been flagged as having an elevated risk (for family history or gene mutations), in your 30s, you can begin to calculate your risk for developing breast cancer. You can do this either with the help of your doctor or with accredited online tools.
“National Cancer Institute hasa risk calculatorthat is available for all women,” says Dr. Hunt. “It calculates the risk of breast cancer for the next 5 years and also for your lifetime risk.”
That knowledge can be useful to formulate a plan for your health. “Once you know your risk and whether you’re at average risk or increased risk, what can you do to reduce your risk?” she says. “For each individual, that is going to be a different plan.”
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In Your 30s You Should … Be Aware of How Pregnancy Changes Your Breast Tissue
“With pregnancy and breastfeeding there are a number of changes in the breast,” Dr. Hunt points out, which is a change that might affect women in their 20s and 30s who are having children. “It’s important to understand these changes and work with your OB-GYN to sort through all of them.”
What to look for? Lumps might occur with the normal breast enlargement during pregnancy, but “we do have to be a little bit more concerned … and have it evaluated with ultrasound right away,” Dr. Hunt says. “That’s because the hormones of pregnancy may influence or increase the growth of breast cancer.”
“That is not to say that every time someone has a red, swollen breast that it is inflammatory breast cancer,” she adds, “but if it does not respond appropriately to interventions, then you need to get it evaluated.”
07of 12In Your 30s You Should … Talk to Your Doctor About Breast ImagingGettyUsually, doctors recommend breast imaging in your 40s and 50s, but your 30s are a good time to talk to (or continue talking to) your doctor about whether or not you need any imaging done on your breasts earlier. Depending on your breast tissue, which changes over time, this can include mammograms, ultrasounds or MRIs.Dr. Richardson says, “Especially if you’re a person of color or of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, you should be asking your doctor if these images need to be captured earlier.“Dr. Hunt adds, “Women who have family history, we often say that you should start screening 10 years before the age that your mother was diagnosed. So that’s something to talk to your doctor about.”
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In Your 30s You Should … Talk to Your Doctor About Breast Imaging
Usually, doctors recommend breast imaging in your 40s and 50s, but your 30s are a good time to talk to (or continue talking to) your doctor about whether or not you need any imaging done on your breasts earlier. Depending on your breast tissue, which changes over time, this can include mammograms, ultrasounds or MRIs.
Dr. Richardson says, “Especially if you’re a person of color or of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, you should be asking your doctor if these images need to be captured earlier.”
Dr. Hunt adds, “Women who have family history, we often say that you should start screening 10 years before the age that your mother was diagnosed. So that’s something to talk to your doctor about.”
08of 12In Your 40s You Should … Get Your First MammogramGettyIf you’ve talked to your doctor, calculated your risk, and found that you do not need early screening or imaging, then your 40s is when you should be scheduling your first mammogram and continuing to get them annually (or at a frequency discussed with your doctor).If you have dense breast tissue, talk to your doctor about potentially adding in ultrasounds, and if you are at high risk of breast cancer, ask your doctor about whether she recommends adding in MRIs as well.Dr. Hunt advises consulting theNational Cancer Institute’s website to educate yourself on the options and being fully informed of your family history, so you can advocate for the best imaging course of action for you.“We want [the imaging] to be appropriate for each individual,” Dr. Hunt says. “You can take the information that you learn and bring that to your physician and personalize it. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. We all have different family histories and they evolve over time, of course.”
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In Your 40s You Should … Get Your First Mammogram
If you’ve talked to your doctor, calculated your risk, and found that you do not need early screening or imaging, then your 40s is when you should be scheduling your first mammogram and continuing to get them annually (or at a frequency discussed with your doctor).
If you have dense breast tissue, talk to your doctor about potentially adding in ultrasounds, and if you are at high risk of breast cancer, ask your doctor about whether she recommends adding in MRIs as well.
Dr. Hunt advises consulting theNational Cancer Institute’s website to educate yourself on the options and being fully informed of your family history, so you can advocate for the best imaging course of action for you.
“We want [the imaging] to be appropriate for each individual,” Dr. Hunt says. “You can take the information that you learn and bring that to your physician and personalize it. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. We all have different family histories and they evolve over time, of course.”
09of 12In Your 50s You Should … Optimize Your HealthGettyContinue to build on your healthy habits (you know, the ones you put into place in your 20s and 30s). “In your 50s, you want to be sure that you’re doing everything in your body to keep cancerous changes from happening,” says Dr. Richardson. That includes:Consuming cruciferous vegetables. Thesecontain sulforaphane, which are protective against breast cancer changesAvoiding processed foods and sugars. These can trigger insulin receptors which can drive the creation of cancers.Getting good sleep! Melatonin, which is created during sleep, is a cancer fighter.Avoiding stress.Optimizing your health with exercise and balanced diet.
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In Your 50s You Should … Optimize Your Health
Continue to build on your healthy habits (you know, the ones you put into place in your 20s and 30s). “In your 50s, you want to be sure that you’re doing everything in your body to keep cancerous changes from happening,” says Dr. Richardson. That includes:
10of 12In Your 50s You Should … Continue Speaking With Your DoctorGettyIn your 50s, continue having conversations with your doctor about what is right for you and your body and attending your annual screening.You should also re-calculate your risk assessment, says Dr. Hunt: “All of the parameters in the risk calculator change over time. If you do it in your 20s it could change, so you need to understand it as it changes over time.“Dr. Richardson says that this would be the time to “discuss with your doctors if you need to be on hormone replacement therapy. If you’re perimenopausal and having symptoms, talk about the risks and benefits of hormonal changes that may or may not impact the risk of breast cancer.”
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In Your 50s You Should … Continue Speaking With Your Doctor
In your 50s, continue having conversations with your doctor about what is right for you and your body and attending your annual screening.
You should also re-calculate your risk assessment, says Dr. Hunt: “All of the parameters in the risk calculator change over time. If you do it in your 20s it could change, so you need to understand it as it changes over time.”
Dr. Richardson says that this would be the time to “discuss with your doctors if you need to be on hormone replacement therapy. If you’re perimenopausal and having symptoms, talk about the risks and benefits of hormonal changes that may or may not impact the risk of breast cancer.”
11of 12In Your 60s You Should … Discuss Potential Preventative TreatmentsHero Images/Getty ImagesThe average age of breast cancer development is 59. In your 60s you should be understanding your screening process, the types of screenings you should have and understanding your risk. Additionally, if you have had a breast biopsy and there were findings on them that signify increased risk, you should be considering options forchemoprevention(taking medicines that can reduce your risk levels).For example, Dr. Hunt says, that the treatments or preventions for osteoporosis (for which aging women are also at higher risk) can also be useful for risk reduction for breast cancer.
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In Your 60s You Should … Discuss Potential Preventative Treatments
Hero Images/Getty Images
The average age of breast cancer development is 59. In your 60s you should be understanding your screening process, the types of screenings you should have and understanding your risk. Additionally, if you have had a breast biopsy and there were findings on them that signify increased risk, you should be considering options forchemoprevention(taking medicines that can reduce your risk levels).
For example, Dr. Hunt says, that the treatments or preventions for osteoporosis (for which aging women are also at higher risk) can also be useful for risk reduction for breast cancer.
12of 12In Your 60s and 70s … Revisit Your Screening and Treatment PlanGettyBreast tissue starts to thin and become less dense in your 60s, which means “the screening can sometimes become less complicated,” Dr. Richardson says, which means “sometimes women in their 60s sometimes can back away from extra screening modalities.“That does not mean you should be cancelling your next mammogram — just that you should be talking with your doctor about your specific needs.“We still want to stay on top of things,” says Dr. Richardson. “It’s not that we don’t need to look at [less complicated breast tissue] anymore, it’s that we may not need to look at it with as many studies.“So how will you and your doctor decide what cadence is right? “There’s not really a lot of good data in breast cancer screenings of older women,” Dr. Hunt says. “If you’re in good health and you and your physician have discussed it, then you should continue to do your screenings. But if … you have multiple other medical issues that are competing risks that are more critical, you might choose not to continue breast cancer screenings [in order to focus on your other higher-risk factors]. That is a conversation that older women need to have with their doctors.”
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In Your 60s and 70s … Revisit Your Screening and Treatment Plan
Breast tissue starts to thin and become less dense in your 60s, which means “the screening can sometimes become less complicated,” Dr. Richardson says, which means “sometimes women in their 60s sometimes can back away from extra screening modalities.”
That does not mean you should be cancelling your next mammogram — just that you should be talking with your doctor about your specific needs.
“We still want to stay on top of things,” says Dr. Richardson. “It’s not that we don’t need to look at [less complicated breast tissue] anymore, it’s that we may not need to look at it with as many studies.”
So how will you and your doctor decide what cadence is right? “There’s not really a lot of good data in breast cancer screenings of older women,” Dr. Hunt says. “If you’re in good health and you and your physician have discussed it, then you should continue to do your screenings. But if … you have multiple other medical issues that are competing risks that are more critical, you might choose not to continue breast cancer screenings [in order to focus on your other higher-risk factors]. That is a conversation that older women need to have with their doctors.”
source: people.com
