Breast cancer is the second-most common cause of cancer death for women in the United States, with lung cancer being the first. Less than 1/3 of women who develop breast cancer have a family history of the disease. Statistics compiled by the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite there were 136.5 incidences of breast cancer per 100,000 women in Oakland County in 2015 with 124.7 in Genesee, and 103.7 in Lapeer.
Here are some ways you can reduce your risk starting today:
Things You Can Change
- Weight and body mass index (BMI)
- Physical activity
- Alcohol use
- Tobacco use (smoking cigarettes)
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use
- Night shift work
- Environmental exposures to toxins
Things You Cannot Change
- Age
- Race and ethnicity
- Family history
- Genetic mutation
- Early menarche (first period)
- Late menopause (last period)
- Benign breast disease (especially proliferative changes, atypia, and lobular carcinoma in-situ)
- High mammographic breast density
- Exposure to ionizing radiation for cancer treatment and other environmental exposures
