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Breast Cancer Timeline
April 3, 2009 |
Many people’s lives revolve around schedules, whether it’s a meeting, a doctor’s
appointment, or a child’s sporting event. Adding a self-breast exam or a mammogram
to your schedule could help in the fight against breast cancer.
“That increases our yield and makes the diagnosis much easier, this is what’s helping
us catch breast
cancer earlier, unquestionably, its become the tool that has been
utilized more and more, and more and more acceptable by women,”
says Dr. Eric Goldsmith,
a surgeon on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System.
Women, especially those who have a family history
of certain cancers, need to be
more vigilant when it comes to screening. “For example, a grandparent or parent,
sister, that has a history of breast cancer, you would be at higher risk,” adds
Dr. Goldsmith.
Doctors have put together a timeline: women as early as 20 should do a self-examination
every month. “A once a month examination for a younger woman who’s menstruating,
usually a few days after the stop of her menstrual cycle, is the best time when
you can examine your breast,”
explains
Dr. Goldsmith. Around the age of 40, doctors
suggest women start having mammograms. “We recommend that even if you re not at
high risk, by age 40, its very important to start your mammograms. So-called baseline
mammograms. See how things are looking, nothing suspicious,” adds Dr. Goldsmith.
And while the causes are still unknown, researchers are devoting a lot of their time to genetic studies for clues
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