The Southwest Voice

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Cancers are a group of diseases that cause cells in the body to change and grow out of control. Most types of cancer cells eventually form a lump or mass called a tumor and are named after the part of the body where the tumor originates.
Breast cancer begins in breast tissue, which is made up of glands for milk production, called lobules, and the ducts that connect lobules to the nipple. The remainder of the breast is made up of fatty, connective, and lymphatic tissue.
Although breast cancer in men is a rare disease (accounting for approximately 1% of breast cancer cases
in the US).
Breast Cancer death rates were virtually unchanged between 1930 and 1990, but decreased about 27% between 1990 to 2004. 1 in 8 women are expected to get Breast Cancer in their lifetime.
Recommendations:
•    Yearly mammograms are recommended starting at age 40.
•    A clinical breast exam should be part of a periodic health exam, about every 3 years for women in their 20s and 30s, and every year for women 40 and older.
•    Women should know how their breasts normally feel and report any breast changes promptly to their health care providers.  Breast self-exam is an option for women starting in their 20s.
•    Screening MRI is recommended for women with an approximately 20%-25% or greater lifetime risk of breast cancer, including women with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer and women who were treated for Hodgkin disease.
Locally, in Kern County 345 people are expected to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2008.
 
For more information about Breast Cancer nationwide go to www.cancer.org for the American Cancer Society. For Kern County residents, Links for Life is a local non-profit organization that helps people affected by Breast Cancer (www.linksforlife.org).