(WSVN) - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and experts are sharing tips on how women of all ages can stay healthy.
Experts say that despite what people may think, there are several risk factors for breast cancer which go beyond DNA.
“Family history is important in all cancer risk, including breast cancer, but having a family history of breast cancer does not mean for sure you will get it; and not having a family history does not mean you won’t get breast cancer,” said Cheryl Thompson, professor and associate director for population sciences at the Penn State Cancer Institute.
Thompson said risk factors can be broken down into two categories, the first being things that people can’t control.
“Our genetics, which account for about 25% of our risk, as well as things like environmental exposure or giving birth, is something that lowers your risk of breast cancer,” said Thompson.
The second category of risk factors is things people can control.
“Such as alcohol consumption. Things like maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly are associated with reduced risk of breast cancer,” said Thompson.
According to Thompson, a new trend in recent years is that more younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer. She said there are several reasons for this, including advancements in detection.
“Some of them are good, like we are doing a better job of screening women, which means that we will find them earlier,” said Thompson.
Thompson said she is encouraging people to keep living healthy lifestyles, talk with their doctors and get screened, all month long and beyond.
Family history is an important tool in deciding how frequently a person should get screened, and it is a conversation they need to have with their primary care physician.
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