{"id":7664,"date":"2019-10-16T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=7664"},"modified":"2022-11-01T12:08:48","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T17:08:48","slug":"know-your-risk-control-your-risk-be-proactive-to-beat-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/know-your-risk-control-your-risk-be-proactive-to-beat-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevention of breast cancer starts with awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

The color pink has become a common sight every October. Alongside jack-o-lanterns, pink might be one of the month\u2019s most defining sights as more and more organizations sport the color in some way every autumn.<\/p>\n

But it isn\u2019t about fashion, or how pink brings out the colors of the changing leaves. It\u2019s about spreading breast cancer awareness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about saving lives.<\/p>\n

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month; when health care providers remind everyone about the importance of getting screened for breast cancer with a screening mammogram<\/a>. Getting your recommended mammograms when needed is the No. 1 thing you can do to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

Because breast cancer starts small with little to no symptoms, you may not be able to make a self-diagnosis of breast cancer with a self-exam. That\u2019s why routine screening tests, such as mammograms, are essential. They can often detect the disease in its early stages before symptoms of breast cancer occur.<\/p>\n

Some early-stage symptoms<\/a> include pain in the breast or nipple, swelling, lumps or nipple discharge. You may also notice the skin on and around your breast and nipple turn red, dry, start to flake or take on a thick, orange peel consistency.<\/p>\n

Catching breast cancer symptoms early is important to prevent the cancer from spreading. But even if you’re diligent about watching for changes and feeling for lumps<\/a>, you may not notice any signs, especially if you have dense breast tissue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cKnow your risks so you can be consistent in your screening. Regular screening mammograms will not help with cancer prevention but will allow detection of cancer when it is more treatable,\u201d said Allison Gleason, mammography and ultrasound services supervisor at OSF HealthCare. \u201cAnd finding cancer early greatly increases your chance for a better outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Best ways to prevent breast cancer<\/h2>\n

In addition to getting screened, you can do things to control your breast cancer risk factors. Peggy Rogers, APRN<\/a>, specializes in high-risk cancer genetics and medical oncology, and she endorses the following guidelines set by the American Cancer Society<\/a> for the prevention of breast cancer:<\/p>\n