Breast Cancer AwarenessSubmitted by: Jodi McFarlane

Resident AssistantUniversity of South Florida

Tampa, Florida

If you use this board, shoot me an email. (jymcfarlane@mail.usf.edu)

In the United States, breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in women.

Each year, a small number of men also are diagnosed with or die from breast cancer. 

Breast self-exam should be part of your monthly health care routine, and you should visit your doctor if you experience breast changes.

Breast cancer symptoms vary widely — from lumps to swelling

to skin changes — and many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all.

The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it.

Over the course of a lifetime,

1 in 8 women

will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Overweight and obese women -- defined as having a BMI (body mass index) over 25 -- have a

higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight. Being

overweight also can increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back (recurrence) in women who have had the disease.

Your risk of developing breast cancer

increases as you get older. Most advanced breast cancer cases are found in women over age 50. Women are 100 times more likely to get breast cancer than men.

You may also have a higher risk for breast cancer if you have a close relative who has had breast, uterine, ovarian, or

colon cancer. About 20 - 30% of women with breast cancer have a family history of the disease.

Women who have never had children or who had them

only after age 30 have an increased risk for breast cancer.

Drinking more than 1 - 2 glasses of alcohol a day may increase your risk for breast cancer.

Women who got their periods early (before age 12) or went through

menopause late (after age 55) have an increased risk for breast cancer.