Breast Cancer Prevention (Three Articles)

Breast Cancer Prevention Articles

ARTICLE #1

See Pink in October—Test That Can Save Your Life

If you see a lot of pink this fall, it’s because October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (pink ribbons are the signature of breast cancer survivors). This annual program is dedicated to increasing public knowledge about the importance of early breast cancer detection.

The National Cancer Association reports that there are more than two million breast cancer survivors in the United States today. Early detection is key to surviving this disease, which can afflict men as well as women. Here are a few things you, or someone you care about, can do:

Complete an annual clinical breast exam (usually part of a woman’s annual exam).
Complete a regular mammography screening, starting at the age of 40.
Perform monthly breast self-exams.
Complete HealthQuotient® (HQ), an online heath risk assessment, to find out if you’re at risk and take preventive action. HQ is availablethrough InTouch for Members, a resource provided by PacificSource atPacificSource.com.

For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit

ARTICLE #2

Breast Cancer: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure

The best defense against breast cancer is a good offense. There are no perfect solutions, but you can do many things to reduce your risk. Making the following changes in your life will improve your overall health and also may significantly reduce your risk for breast cancer:

Stop smoking. Research shows that smoking is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Smoking can also increase complications from breast cancer treatment. It can worsen radiation damage to the lung, cause difficulty healing after surgery, and increase the risk of blood clots with hormonal therapy.

Smoking is a habit that's very hard to break, and knowing all of the dangers associated with it isn't always enough to make you quit. Fortunately, PacificSource has several options to help you quit: sign up for Free & Clear tobacco cessation program, take a hospital-based education class, or explore InTouch Health Manager. To find out more about these programs, visit PacificSource.com > For Members > Health and Wellness Programs.

Get more exercise. Scientists have found that five hours of exercise a week may lower the risk of breast cancer. Over time, exercise may be able to lower the estrogen levels in your body. Estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, which is associated with breast cancer. Other research on exercise and breast cancer has found that exercise can help boost the immune system, limit weight gain, and help ease treatment side effects.

Maintain a healthy weight. Because fat cells make extra estrogen that can stimulate breast cell growth, overweight women have an increased risk of getting breast cancer after menopause. Being overweight can also increase the risk of breast cancer coming back in women who have had the disease.

As we age, it's harder to keep weight under control because our metabolism slows and we tend to get less exercise. But if you can stick to a low-fat, low-calorie diet and stay physically active, weight is much easier to control.

Reduce your exposure to estrogen. Prolonged exposure to estrogen without a break can increase your risk for breast cancer. To reduce or eliminate sources of extra estrogen from your diet and environment, try the following steps:

Shed extra pounds, and keep those pounds off.
If you have already had breast cancer, avoid taking estrogen-like and progesterone-like products, such as menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). If you decide to use estrogen with your doctor's advice, use the lowest dose possible.
Limit alcohol to no more than five alcoholic drinks a week. Significant alcohol use is unhealthy for your liver, which helps regulate estrogen levels in your system. Limiting your alcohol intake helps your liver keep blood estrogen levels low.
Restrict sources of red meat and other animal fats (including dairy fat in cheese, milk, and ice cream), because they may contain hormones, other growth factors, antibiotics, and pesticides.
If circumstances allow, consider having children sooner rather than later in life and breastfeed your babies. A full-term pregnancy, which stops your menstrual cycle for nine months, seems to offer protection against breast cancer.
And remember, eat four to five servings of fruits and vegetables everyday.

Take Action: Complete the health assessment to find out if you’re at risk and take preventive action. The health assessment is availableCaféWell, an online health engagement portal. To get started, go to PacificSource.com, log into InTouch, and then click on the CaféWell button.

For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit

ARTICLE #3

Breast Cancer in Men

It may come as a surprise, but breast cancer is not just a women’s issue. Each year approximately 1,700 men in the United States learn they have breast cancer. Although breast cancer is rarer in men, it is often also more severe. This makes early detection very important.

Because men have very little breast tissue, it is easier for men and their healthcare professionals to feel small masses. On the other hand, because men have so little breast tissue, cancers do not need to grow large enough to reach the skin covering the breast or the muscles underneath the breast. Therefore, although male breast cancers tend to be slightly smaller than female breast cancers when they are first found, they're more likely to have spread beyond the breast.

The extent of this spread is the most important factor in the chances of survival. Men can use many of the same protocols as women to reduce their risk of breast cancer—eat right, don’t smoke, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise. Similarly, men also need to become familiar with their breasts and perform regular breast self exams.

For more information about National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, visit