RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer affecting women, but early detection, whether through mammograms or self-exams, can lead to a high survival rate.
During October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists emphasizes the importance of annual mammograms once women reach a certain age and monthly self-exams as early as age 18.
Educating women about these important detection measures is an everyday mission at the Randolph Medical Clinic.
"Every year we get more aggressive about telling our patients they need to get breast exams," Nadia Regis, 359th Medical Operations Squadron women's health care nurse practitioner, said.
The clinic recommends a baseline mammogram at age 35 or 36 and annual screenings starting at age 40, but family history may dictate screening at a younger age, Regis said.
"If you have a family history of breast cancer, you should start the screenings at the age the relative was diagnosed," she said. "If the relative was diagnosed in their 20s, that's when the mammograms should start."
Annual mammograms can detect breast cancer before it causes any symptoms - and before it has time to spread. If a tumor is small enough, and still confined to the breast, the five-year survival rate is 98 percent, according to ACOG.
Self-exams are also important, Regis said.
"If they do self-exams and have an annual mammogram, they're pretty much covered," she said.
Monthly self-exams, which should begin as early as age 18, allow women to become familiar with how their breasts should feel, Regis said.
"It's important to check your breasts regularly so you know what's normal," she said. "Women should be looking for nipple discharge, changes in the skin, lesions and lumps."
Regis said women who come to the clinic are generally faithful with their annual mammograms, but they're not as dedicated to self-exams.
"This year I found a lump in a patient's breast, and it turned out to be cancer," she said. "She had never done a self-exam."
Self-exams are important because women often find lumps that are cancerous, Regis said. Women who feel or see an abnormality during a self-exam should see a health care professional immediately because waiting can narrow options for treatment.
Regis said women's health care practitioners can show women how to perform a self-exam.
She also said a clinical breast exam is recommended every year for women who are between the ages of 21 and 29 and every three years for women who are 30 and older.
The highest risk factor for breast cancer is being female, since the disease is about 100 times more common among women. Age is another risk factor, because the likelihood of developing breast cancer increases with age. Among other risk factors are family history, having an early first period, having no children and undergoing hormonal replacement therapy.
Regis said hormone replacement therapy increases a woman's risk only slightly, about 1 percent if she is on hormone therapy for 10 years. But a woman who has already had breast cancer should not undergo hormone therapy, which is used to replace the estrogen hormone the natural aging process takes away.
Women may also reduce their risk of developing breast cancer through lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising and limiting the amount of alcohol they drink, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
For the most up-to-date information at the Randolph clinic, visit https://kx.afms.mil/randolph or search for the 359th Medical Group on Facebook.