Yet another reason to make some changes in the way you live, especially if you're worried about breast cancer survival rates. A new model created estimates that alterations to lifestyle habits like losing weight, getting more exercise and drinking less alcohol - all within our direct control - could see a reduction in the number of breast cancer cases.
Earlier models of breast cancer risk were based on factors that a woman could not change - family history, and aging for example, so they weren't able to pinpoint the effect of lifestyle choices a woman might make.
The model was developed with data from a case controlled study based in Italy that included 5,000 women and accounted for three risk factors that might be changed:
- alcohol consumption
- being active
- body mass index (BMI)
And five that are impossible (or difficult) to change:
- family history
- employment
- reproductive history
- biopsy history
- education.
Using the model, the researchers saw that it predicted improvements in the risk factors able to be modified - bringing a 1.6% drop (equal to 16,000 less cases) in the mean 20 year risk for a female population aged 65.
There was over a 3% reduction for those who had a family history of disease, and an impressive 4.1% drop for those who had the most risk factors that could not be changed.
The team recognizes that calling for women to make all these lifestyle changes might be unrealistic. And we can't assume these results apply to subjects in nations beyond Italy. Still, these findings will help create public health programs that encourage women to adopt lifestyle changes to keep themselves healthy.
The good news is that the findings will also help medical professionals counsel women on the risk reduction she might achieve by making some simple behavior changes.
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States. In 2010 alone, 201,000 U.S. women were diagnosed with dangerous, disfiguring breast cancer, with just under 40,000 dying as a result of the disease.
Over the course of a lifetime, your own risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is one in eight. Today our awareness of the toll of this devastating disease has become mainstream, modern research helping improve not only the diagnosis but the treatment of breast cancer as well. Survival rates have gone up thanks to earlier detection, better treatments and an all around improved understanding of the disease itself.
Still, if you're worried about your own risk, this model shows that there are changes you can make to help yourself.
- Reduce your alcohol intake to a maximum of one drink a day.
- Do what you can to get your BMI in the normal range, and
- Be active (150 minutes/week of moderate activity) on a regular basis.
You'll also want to have the screenings recommended for you, at the right age, and report any change (or lump) in your breasts to your doctor, even if you've just had an exam or normal mammogram.
By Kirsten Whittaker
Earlier models of breast cancer risk were based on factors that a woman could not change - family history, and aging for example, so they weren't able to pinpoint the effect of lifestyle choices a woman might make.
The model was developed with data from a case controlled study based in Italy that included 5,000 women and accounted for three risk factors that might be changed:
- alcohol consumption
- being active
- body mass index (BMI)
And five that are impossible (or difficult) to change:
- family history
- employment
- reproductive history
- biopsy history
- education.
Using the model, the researchers saw that it predicted improvements in the risk factors able to be modified - bringing a 1.6% drop (equal to 16,000 less cases) in the mean 20 year risk for a female population aged 65.
There was over a 3% reduction for those who had a family history of disease, and an impressive 4.1% drop for those who had the most risk factors that could not be changed.
The team recognizes that calling for women to make all these lifestyle changes might be unrealistic. And we can't assume these results apply to subjects in nations beyond Italy. Still, these findings will help create public health programs that encourage women to adopt lifestyle changes to keep themselves healthy.
The good news is that the findings will also help medical professionals counsel women on the risk reduction she might achieve by making some simple behavior changes.
After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States. In 2010 alone, 201,000 U.S. women were diagnosed with dangerous, disfiguring breast cancer, with just under 40,000 dying as a result of the disease.
Over the course of a lifetime, your own risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is one in eight. Today our awareness of the toll of this devastating disease has become mainstream, modern research helping improve not only the diagnosis but the treatment of breast cancer as well. Survival rates have gone up thanks to earlier detection, better treatments and an all around improved understanding of the disease itself.
Still, if you're worried about your own risk, this model shows that there are changes you can make to help yourself.
- Reduce your alcohol intake to a maximum of one drink a day.
- Do what you can to get your BMI in the normal range, and
- Be active (150 minutes/week of moderate activity) on a regular basis.
You'll also want to have the screenings recommended for you, at the right age, and report any change (or lump) in your breasts to your doctor, even if you've just had an exam or normal mammogram.
By Kirsten Whittaker
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