Year-Round Breast Cancer Awareness Reduces Risk, Improves Outcomes

    We all know by now that October is the time when everyone from healthcare providers to football players sports pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But for us to truly win the fight against this disease, we should be doing our part 12 months a year. 
    There are a number of preventative measures women can take every day to decrease the risk of breast cancer, detect it earlier when it occurs and increase their chance for survival. 
1. Get annual mammograms. Ochsner Health System offers 3D mammography (tomo-synthesis) that is less invasive and much more accurate. This technology detects smaller breast cancers than traditional mammography. This decreases the number of callback mammograms and unnecessary biopsies—which greatly relives the anxiety associated with mammograms. With early diagnosis, survival rates for breast cancer can be dramatically increased. In addition to a higher survival rates, with early detection nearly 80 percent of women have the option to retain their breasts. 
2. Know your family history. Knowing your family history of ANY TYPE of cancer for 2-3 generations and sharing it with your doctor is crucial. Thankfully today we have testing procedures and preventative measures our grandparents did not. For example, DNA testing now looks at 25 genes, instead of just two, to see how those genes interact with ones we know cause cancer. 
3. Live healthy. More than 1/3 of Louisianans qualify as obese. Not only does this increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stress on your joints, but it also greatly increases your risk for breast cancer. Making healthier choices, managing your weight and exercising regularly all make for a better quality of life all around. 
4. Limit alcohol intake. Be aware of and manage your alcohol intake. It is generally agreed at this point that more than one alcoholic drink a day increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. 
    For those dealing with breast cancer, you are not alone. The Baton Rouge Breast Cancer Support Group, The Hope Chests, meets on the first Tuesday of every month from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Meetings are held at Ochsner Health Center – Summa Avenue, 9001 Summa Ave., in the third floor lobby. The group is free to all breast cancer patients and their supporters and is an excellent resource for understanding and living with your diagnosis. 
    Dr. Jay Brooks earned his medical degree from LSU, completed his residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and his fellowship at the National Cancer Institute’s Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology as well as by the American Board of Internal Medicine-Medical Oncology. Dr. Brooks has written many articles for scientific medical publications as well as chapters for several oncology textbooks. Dr. Brooks' expertise is in lung cancer, breast cancer treatment and prevention, and cancer genetics.