Breast Cancer Update

I have a question for you? What is the most common form of cancer in women? Well, it’s breast cancer. Approximately 225,000 new breast cancers are diagnosed every year. Almost one in every eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. The risk of getting breast cancer increases with age. Therefore, the risk of an 80-year-old is greater than that of a 60-year-old, and it takes a toll. About 45,000 women will die of breast cancer this year. Any woman can get breast cancer, but there are certain risk factors. The most important is family history. The greatest risk is in women who have a mother, daughter or sister with the disease, especially if they develop breast cancer before menopause, or if both breasts were affected. Families with a history of male breast cancer, or relatives with ovarian cancer are also at increased risk. Breast cancer genes can be detected in about 5% of breast cancer patients