Educating Women about Breast Cancer Risk

An alarming survey conducted by the American Cancer Society has found that many-if not most-women have an incorrect perception about their risk of getting breast cancer.

Nearly half of the women in the survey thought they had a 30 - 50 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime-far higher than the actual rate of 11 percent (1 in 8 women). Two-thirds of the women thought that their risk was greater than 20 percent.

Women in the survey also believed that the risk of getting breast cancer was greatest from age 30 to 49, when in fact the risk increases with age. According to the American Cancer Society, 77 percent of new diagnoses of breast cancer and 84 percent of breast cancer deaths occur in women over age 50.

"This important research shows there is a lot of information out there about breast cancer risk, which women are unable to understand in terms of their personal risk for getting this terrible disease," said Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, a board member of the American Cancer Society.

The survey also found that women are most likely to talk to their female friends about health issues, especially breast cancer and mammography. In fact, nearly 70 percent of the respondents said they are "greatly" or "somewhat" influenced by others' opinions when it comes to these concerns.

Risk Factors

Only five to ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary; that is, they are caused by a faulty gene that has been passed down from generation to generation. The vast majority of breast cancers are caused by something else-we still don't have a specific clue as to a definitive cause for the disease.

Some of the most important risk factors include: being female; increasing age; previous diagnosis of breast cancer; family history of breast cancer; previous diagnosis of ovarian cancer; and previous diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia.

SOURCE:

American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)

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