Four Things You Should Know About Breast Cancer

You may be nonchalant about breast cancer if it hasn’t affected you or a member of your family directly. But there is growing reason for you to fear and arm yourself against the disease. Here are the facts.

1. Breast cancer affects teens as young as 15 and women as old as 54, but incidence and death increase with age.
2. Though the American Cancer Society notes that white women have higher risks for the disease, it remains a leading cause of death for Filipino women. The Philippine Cancer Registry lists more than 10,000 cases with a mortality rate of 40%. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the country holds the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia, and the ninth in the world as of 2008.
3. Studies showed that only 5% of breast cancer cases are hereditary, although a woman's risk is higher if she has a relative suffering from the disease. The American Cancer Society also lists sex, age, childbearing, hormones, a high-fat diet, alcohol intake, obesity, and environmental factors such as tobacco use and radiation as some of the causes.
4. You may be healthy now, but it helps to protect yourself from the disease this early by exercising regularly, limiting your alcohol intake, maintaining a balanced diet, and avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants. By now, you should also know how to feel your twins and armpits for lumps.