Doctors Discuss Breast Cancer Risks

DANBURY — One in seven women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer in women, after lung cancer.

With those odds, Joseph Gordon, MD, a surgeon in the Department of Surgery, Section of General Surgery and co-director of the Danbury Hospital Breast Care Program, reminds women of the importance of early screening and detection.

Dr Gordon, who also was recently named director of the Danbury Hospital Level II Trauma Center, spoke at a recent Medical Town Meeting sponsored by the hospital on “Breast Cancer Basics,” along with surgeon Vijay Patil, MD, and Anna Mah, MD, of the Department of Radiology.

The group spoke to raise awareness that early detection leads to the most successful outcome for breast cancer. Dr Gordon also dispelled myths about breast cancer. Among the myths he commonly hears:

 I won’t get breast cancer because it doesn’t run in my family.

 My mother or sister has it so I’m sure to get it.

 I don’t have cancer because my mammogram is negative.

 Mammograms are risky because of the radiation.

All of these are misconceptions, said Dr Gordon. All women are at risk of breast cancer, regardless of family history. In addition, he said, having a relative with breast cancer does not guarantee that a woman will get it. While mammograms are good early detectors, they do not pick up everything. Radiation from a mammogram is minimal.

Risk factors do include aging (80 percent of cases are diagnosed after age 50), genetics (five to ten percent of cases are related to a genetic mutation), family history, Caucasian, a history of abnormal breast biopsy, early onset of menstruation and late menopause, and DES exposure. Certain lifestyle factors also increase risk, he said. They include:

 Not having children or having a first child after age 30

 Taking oral contraceptives

 Hormones and menopause

 Alcohol use (more than one drink a day)

 Inactivity and obesity

He also added that there are many myths about risk factors, too. He said there is no foundation in science that things like underwire bras, antiperspirants, antibiotics, or breast implants cause breast cancer.

But the best defense is early detection screening, he said. In many cases, a mammogram can catch cancers that have not spread. He also suggested that a woman perform a monthly self-breast exam, as long as she does not get overly anxious about it. No one knows better than a woman if any changes develop in her breast, according to Dr Gordon.

Dr Gordon also discussed the process if a woman is called back for a second mammogram or additional testing. “Try not to panic,” he said. Many women are called back for additional tests and only a very small number actually have cancer. He also reminds women that the chance of survival and cure are excellent today, and advances in treatment are being made every day.

To stay healthy, he recommends that women eat a low-fat, well-balanced diet, shed excess pounds, do monthly self-exams, and have an annual mammogram after age 40.

For more information see a doctor, or visit the Danbury Hospital website at www.danburyhospital.org.