Risk Factors for Breast Cancer [Video] | hioscar Blog | Oscar
Risk Factors for Breast Cancer [Video]
Dr. Stephanie Reznick keeps you up-to-date on breast cancer risk factors and preventive screenings.
Virtual CareClinically Speaking
4 min read
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Did you know that breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the US?
Watch (opens in new tab) as Dr. Stephanie Reznick discusses risk factors and preventive screenings for breast cancer.
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Risk Factors for Breast Cancer [Video]
Video Transcript
"Hi everyone! This is Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznick. I'm a board-certified internist and the medical director for virtual, longitudinal care here at Oscar.
In a prior video, I talked about steps you can take as you get older to stay healthy (opens in new tab) as a part of Healthy Aging Month. Now it's October and it happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I wanted to talk a bit about breast cancer.
First, what is it? It's cancer of the breast but specifically it's also the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. It can also be found in men, although that is pretty rare.
What are the risk factors? We typically divide risk factors into two categories:
Modifiable, meaning those that at least theoretically you have some control over and
Non-modifiable, which are things that you can't control
Examples of non-modifiable risk factors include age, with 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancer diagnoses being made in women 55 years old or older.
Family history is another big risk factor that you can't control. When looking at your family history, it's important to consider not only how many family members have had breast cancer but also consider other cancers that are linked to similar genes. Prostate cancer and ovarian cancer, for example, can be due to BRCA mutations, not just breast cancer. Also, the more family members you have affected or the closer they are related to you — meaning a sister is more closely related to you than a second cousin — those kind of situations would be higher risk for there being a genetic component.
All that said, hereditary breast cancers only make up about 5-10 percent of the diagnoses, so just because you don't have a family history does not mean that you're not at risk potentially for getting breast cancer.
Modifiable risk factors, like I said before, are things that — and I use the term theoretically — you have control over because some of them you can't completely control because of life. For example, if you have your first child or have a first full term pregnancy before age 30, that actually protects you against breast cancer, but life is complicated and you may or may not want children so I don't really like considering that something you can control per se.
Things that you can actually control are things like whether you choose to do hormone replacement therapy. I'm not saying you should or shouldn't — it's something you should discuss with your provider, but beware of the risks it carries including an increased risk of breast cancer.
Another thing you can control is your lifestyle.
Keeping a healthy weight
Exercising regularly
Having a well-rounded diet
Limiting your alcohol intake
All these steps can help decrease your risk of getting breast cancer.
What can you do besides these lifestyle changes?
Like I mentioned before, know your family history. If you have any concerns about genetics, talk about it with your primary care provider. Genetic testing is available and if you do have one of the genes, there are steps you can take if you so choose to limit your risk of getting breast cancer.
Some of these steps are pretty aggressive such as getting a bilateral mastectomy, meaning you have both breasts surgically removed. This will drastically decrease your risk of getting breast cancer but again, it's pretty aggressive.
There is also the ability to take chemoprophylaxis. Chemoprophylaxis is a pill that you can take every day to decrease your risk of getting breast cancer. Keep in mind these pills do have a lot of side effects so you really should be discussing this with your provider before taking any additional steps.
Don't forget to get your mammogram! Different organizations vary on whether they recommend starting at age 40 or age 50, but I personally think it's best to start at age 40.
While some people may say they prefer alternative breast cancer screenings such as thermography, the evidence does not support its use and a mammogram is the gold standard because the scientific studies stand behind it.
If you're an Oscar member, you can always reach out to the virtual team with any questions both on the clinical side — in which case reach out to the Virtual Urgent Care — or if you're a patient of the Virtual Primary Care team, you can reach out to them.
If you have a question about coverage, you can reach out to your Care Team."
Video published 2020-10-27
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
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