RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Doctors may be treating some breast cancers that could clear up on their own without surgery or other treatments, according to a study recently published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
THE DETAILS: Researchers compared tumor rates in two groups of Norwegian women similar in age and background. One group was screened with mammograms every 2 years during a 6-year period, and the other got just one at the end of the 6-year span (when the government introduced a biennial screening in their area). Among the group given more frequent mammograms, the incidence of invasive breast tumors during the 6 years was 22% higher. The higher incidence could be due to cancers that regress spontaneously and aren’t detected if screening isn’t frequent.
WHAT IT MEANS: This is interesting research that should be followed up on, but for now, skipping a mammogram is tantamount to playing Russian roulette, says Elizabeth Thompson, managing director, Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “It’s engaging and intriguing, but at the end of the day, we don’t have a way to decide which cancers will grow and become aggressive, and which will remain dormant or regress,” she says. Robert M. Kaplan, PhD, chair of the Department of Health Services at UCLA, agrees. “At this point, women should not change what they are doing,” he says. “We need confirmation of these study results before any policy recommendations can be made.”
The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 or older get a digital mammogram and clinical breast exam every year. Ladies in their 20s and 30s should have the exam every 3 years. Women with increased risks, such as a family history of the disease, inherited genetic mutation, atypical pathology findings in the past, radiation exposure to the chest as a young person, dense breast tissue in mammograms, early periods, or late menopause should talk to their doctors about more frequent screenings, possibility using MRI technology.
Here some other ways to lower your risk of breast cancer:
Get moving. Exercise lowers your levels of estrogen; too much estrogen raises your breast cancer risk. The gold standard is 45 to 60 minutes of heart-thumping activity most days of the week, but moderate levels (30 minutes, 5 days a week) can make a difference, no matter what your age.
Do the D. More and more studies demonstrate the cancer-fighting power of this vitamin. In a recent study, breast cancer patients deficient in vitamin D were 94% more likely to have their cancer spread than women with adequate D levels. Take a multivitamin with 400 IU and a 1,000 IU vitamin D supplement every day.
Back off the booze. You raise your odds of getting the most common form of breast cancer if you drink one to two drinks a day.
Don’t get too friendly with hormones. Long-term use of hormone therapy (HT) can increase breast cancer risk. Only turn to HT if menopausal symptoms are unmanageable, and limit time on the therapy to no more than 5 years. Consider alternatives, such as SSRI antidepressants for hot flashes and vaginal creams with estrogen for dry genital tissues.
Kick EDCs out of your house. Breast Cancer Fund urges women to avoid products containing endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), chemicals that mess with your hormones. These products are everywhere, including personal-care products we use every day. Check out Environmental Working Group's database of products and read up on the safety of ingredients in your makeup, soaps, and sunscreens.