Citizens Memorial Hospital | Vitality | Fall 2019

citizensmemorial.com 11 » » Try to avoid scheduling your mammogram for the week before your period, when breasts are often swollen and tender. » » Avoid wearing deodorant or antiperspirant at your appointment. Substances they contain may appear as white spots on the X-rays. » » Consider wearing a skirt or pants so you’ll only have to remove your shirt and bra. (You’ll need to undress from the waist up for the mammogram.) UNDERSTANDINGTHE RISK First, it’s crucial to remember that most women with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. According to the American Cancer Society, only up to 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, meaning they are the direct result of defective genes passed on from a parent. The most common of the so-called breast cancer genes are BRCA1 and BRCA2. Women who don’t inherit a defective gene can still be at a higher risk for breast cancer if they have a close blood relative with the disease. But it’s important to put that risk in perspective too: Overall, less than 15% of all women with breast cancer have a family member with the disease. Here are some examples of how a family history of breast cancer may or may not raise your risk: » » If your aunt (a second-degree relative) had breast cancer in only one breast after age 50, you’re not at increased risk. » » If your mother, sister or daughter (a first-degree relative) had breast cancer, your risk for the disease almost doubles. » » If you have two first-degree relatives with breast cancer, you have about a threefold risk of developing the disease too. There are other ways in which your family’s health history may raise your risk of breast cancer. For instance, if you have: » » A male relative with breast cancer. » » A relative (first- or second-degree) with cancer in both breasts. » » A relative (first- or second-degree) with both breast and ovarian cancer. TALK TOYOUR DOCTOR If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, you might benefit from genetic counseling and testing for hereditary breast cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And if you learn you have an inherited risk? You can try to prevent breast cancer or detect it early, when treatment usually works best. Options can include taking breast cancer prevention drugs or having earlier and more frequent screenings.