From an interview with
Dr. Jason Davis
McLeod Surgery Cheraw

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer. Being female and having a family history of breast cancer are two risk factors that you aren’t able to change. However, there are definitely risk factors that are within your control.

A few ways you can lower your risk include:

• Breastfeed your babies. Research shows that mothers who breastfeed lower their risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer. And, breastfeeding longer than the recommended six months can provide additional protection.
• If you’re able, limit hormone replacement therapy after menopause. Although this treatment lowers the risk of bone fractures, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. If women take a combination of estrogen and progestin for longer than five years, their risk of breast cancer will probably stay higher even after they stop hormone therapy.
• Perform daily physical activity. Exercise can help with weight control. Women who are lean have a lower risk of breast cancer after menopause compared to heavy women. Being active may lower blood estrogen levels. Women with lower blood estrogen levels have a lower risk of breast cancer than women with higher levels. Exercise may also boost the body’s immune system so it can help kill or slow the growth of cancer cells.
• After menopause, your breast cancer risk increases by about 12% for every five point increase on the BMI scale. Being overweight is associated with increased levels of insulin and other growth factors that encourage cell growth, increasing your cancer risk. Obesity is also associated with long-term inflammation, which the body treats as an illness and tries to repair. This means more cell growth and more risk for breast and other cancers.
• Limit your alcohol consumption. Alcohol can affect levels of hormones like estrogen. These hormones act as messengers that tell our cells to grow and divide. The more cells divide, the more chances there are for something to go wrong and for cancer to develop. Alcohol also makes the body less able to break down and absorb several important nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and folate. These nutrients help protect the body against cancer.
• Quit smoking. Cigarette smoke releases over 5,000 different chemicals. These harmful chemicals enter the smoker’s lungs, damaging DNA, including parts that protect against cancer.
• Having a mammogram each year after the age of 40 provides not only peace of mind, but also greatly improves survival by early breast cancer detection.

For more information, call McLeod Surgery in Cheraw at 843-320-9086, and discuss with your physician what you can do to lower your risk for breast cancer.