PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) — Over the past month, we’ve offered an in-depth look at the fight against breast cancer.

First we looked at: different types of breast cancer. Then we looked at how breast cancer happens. tested and diagnosed. We looked last week treatment options available.

This week we look at signs, symptoms and risk factors.

Sometimes there may be signs and symptoms that physically manifest in the breast, but sometimes there are none.

According to the American Cancer Society, every woman is at risk of developing breast cancer. But there are some genetic risk factors that put some women at greater risk than others.

“As we get older, our risk of breast cancer increases. There are also certain ethnic groups. Askinosie Jews are among those at higher risk. There are very few people in our region of Askinosie Jewish origin. Another reason is breast density. As women get older, they have more breast density instead of fat in the breast. ” said Jane Kessler, Breast Health Navigator, Memorial Health System.

Genetic risk factors include:

• Gender – Women are more at risk than men
• Age – Women are at greater risk after age 55
• Race – white women are diagnosed more often than other races
• family history – First-degree relative with a history of cancer (sister, mother, child)
• Personal health history – If you have been diagnosed before or have abnormal breast cells
• Menstrual and reproductive history – Early menstruation (before age 12) or late menopause (after age 55)
• Some genome changes – mutation in certain genes
• dense breast tissue – dense tissue can increase your risk and masses are harder to detect

“Genetics can account for this, but generally only less than ten percent of cases are genetically linked. So most female breast cancers are not genetically related, so you can’t rely on that alone for screening purposes. It’s a very small percentage,” said Clark of WVU Medicine Camden. Nurse Practitioner Jo Hendershot.

There are also environmental and lifestyle risk factors that can increase the risk of breast cancer. These include:

• Lack of physical activity
• malnutrition
• Being overweight or obese
• drinking alcohol
• chest radiation
• Combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Although these may be a risk factor, the National Breast Cancer Foundation said only 30-40% of patients have known risk factors. This means that approximately 60-70% of breast cancer patients have no link to these risk factors.

Signs and symptoms often go unnoticed.

“When signs and symptoms appear, such as if you have a large mass, a painful mass, bleeding or discharge from there, it is already too late. Sometimes, there may be discharge or nipple retraction without feeling a lump in the nipple, which will lead to early diagnosis. Or, for some skin changes, you can visit a doctor and get an early diagnosis. But often, by the time signs and symptoms develop, the condition has become more advanced,” said WVU Medicine Camden Clark, MD. Sabir Hussain.

Dr. Sometimes, if cancer is diagnosed late, other symptoms may appear, Hussain said.

“If it is in an advanced stage, you may have bone pain and shortness of breath. “You have signs and symptoms depending on where mastitis occurs and where it spreads,” said Dr. Hussain.

Spotted an error in our reporting? Send us an email at: Click here!

Copyright 2024 WTAP. All rights reserved.