Don't Hide From Breast Cancer | HealthInfi

Ever since 1992 when the pink ribbon was adopted as the official symbol of Breast CancerAwareness Month, I can’t see the color pink without thinking about my own diagnosis, which started innocently enough in 1988 with a first-ever screening mammogramat the age of 34.

As you can probably imagine, I was both unprepared and shocked at this turn of events. Breast cancer was nowhere in my family. My mother, sister and grandmother”they were all alive and well and cancer-free, as were many female members of my family. I was relatively young and led a healthy life. I exercised, ate well and limited my alcohol intake to a few glasses of wine each week. I didn’t fit what I thought to be the “typical” profile of a woman with breast cancer.

But I’ve learned a lot since then from my job as a health writer, my own personal journey and the increasing public awareness of this disease. I’ve also read  innumerable articles on the subject.

I may know a lot, but I don’t know everything. Not even the most seasoned scientists do. Breast cancer prevention continues to be elusive. And though treatment options have certainly improved through the years, the death rate from the most common cancer among women in the United States (other than skin cancer) remains stubbornly high: the American Cancer Society estimates deaths from breast cancer to be about 39,620 each year. And many myths, misconceptions and fears persist.

Before I go into them, may I make a personal plea? Please don’t think breast cancer only happens to other people and can’t happen to you. If you’re a female, it can happen (and, yes, even if you’re a male, you can get breast cancer). Being female, however,  is your biggest risk factor.

True story: I knew a woman years ago who told me she never gets mammograms because she “just doesn’t want to know.” Hearing that was like a knife in my stomach. I begged her to get one, telling her my personal story. She refused. A few years later, I found out that she died”not from breast cancer, but from colon cancer. She had symptoms but ignored them out of fear.

Breast Cancer Dos and Don’ts

Don’t think that just because you have a lump, you have cancer. Most breast lumps in fact, 8 out of 10 are not cancer.

Do get all lumps checked out by a doctor.

Don’t think that you’re too young to get breast cancer.

Do know that although breast cancer is more common in women over 50, it exists in younger women, too: about 13,100 cases will be diagnosed in women under age 40. And around 26,275 breast cancers occur in women under 45.

Don’t think that if you find a lump after a negative mammogram, it’s OK to ignore it.

Do contact your health care provider if the lump doesn’t go away. Mammograms can miss some cancers, especially if they’re in difficult areas to see (for instance, near your armpit) or in dense breasts. You may need imaging with an MRI or ultrasound or another mammogram.Read More