Assess your risk for developing breast cancer.

The most common sign of breast cancer is a lump or thickening in the breast that does not go away. Note that four out of five lumps are benign, not cancerous.

Other signs to look for include:

• Swelling
• Puckering
• Dimpling
• Redness
• Soreness in skin
• Nipple changes, such as puckering, change of shape or crustiness

What Causes Breast Cancer?

The cause of breast cancer is not known. However, having one or more of the following risk factors listed by the American Cancer Society may increase a woman’s chance of having the disease:

• Being older than age 40, and especially older than 50
• Having a personal history of breast cancer (already having had cancer in one breast)
• Having a mother and/or sisters who have had breast cancer, with the risk increasing if these relatives had cancer in both breasts and it occurred before menopause
• Never giving birth, or giving birth after age 30
• Having a long menstrual history (menstrual periods that started early and ended late in life)

Additional risks, according the American Cancer Society:

• Some evidence points to an increased risk with a high-fat diet
• Women who have ovarian cancer have a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer
• Women with a previous breast cancer are at an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast, the endometrium, and the colon

Genetics and Breast Cancer

Information courtesy Susan G. Komen Facts for Life
For more information, call 1.800.462.9273, or visit the website at www.breastcancerinfo.com

Genes are the blueprints for your body, directing the color of your eyes, your height and the functions of your body, such as tissue repair. There may be times when these cells may not work as they should, which is called a "mutation."

Mutations may be inherited or spontaneous. Inherited mutation means you were born with the defective gene. Spontaneous mutations are those that may occur during the course of your lifetime. Little is known about the cause of spontaneous mutations.

Scientists have identified two genes that are important in the development of breast cancer: BRACA1 & BRACA2.  All women have these genes, but some have inherited a mutated form of one or the other, which increases the woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. These mutations account for only 5 to 10% of all cases of breast cancer (National Cancer Institute, 1998).