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Breast Cancer Prevalence
By Brenda Witt, Thu Dec 8th
In November 2003, the American Cancer Society stated that breastcancer is the leading cause of death in women between the agesof 40 and 44. In the United States, there are approximately200,000 new cases of and more than 40,000 deaths;making the U.S. one of the countries with the highest deathrates due to breast cancer. Perhaps the most alarming statisticis 1: 8 women will eventually develop over theirlifetime. Generally Accepted Risk Factors for developing canbe divided into two categories; those a woman can control andthose she cannot. Women who choose pharmaceutical hormonereplacement therapy (HRT) and oral contraceptives may increasetheir risk of breast cancer. Additionally, a woman who consumesone or more alcoholic drinks per day or lives a sedentarylifestyle faces an increased risk for acquiring breast cancer.Those factors that are beyond the immediate control but stillmay lead to increased risk include: onset of menstruation priorto age 12 or onset of menopause after the age 50 and inheritanceof the genes, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. Inheriting thebreast cancer genes, BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, are known to beassociated with both breast and ovarian cancers, but onlyaccount for 5-10% of all breast cancer. In 70% of all cases, thecause of is still yet unknown. Conventional screening methods all examine structure. Forexample, mammography uses X-ray to examine breast tissue. Anystructure that has grown large enough to be seen by X-ray couldbe detected by mammography. However, mammography can have a highfalse positive rate. In fact, only 1 in 6 biopsies are found tobe positive for cancer when found by mammography or clinicalbreast exam. This leads to increased psychological stress,physical trauma and financial worries.
Other risks of mammography include the radiation exposure,although this has been debated by doctors for many years.Recently published in Radiation Research, 2004 the authorsuggests that the risks associated with mammography screeningmay be FIVE times
higher than previously assumed and therisk-benefit relationship of mammography needs to bere-examined. There exists a technology that can detect a breast issue YEARSbefore a tumor can be seen on X-ray or palpated during an exam.This technology has been approved by the FDA as an adjunctivescreening tool since 1982 and offers NO RADIATION, NOCOMPRESSION AND NO PAIN. For women who are refusing to have amammogram or those who want clinical correlation for an existingproblem, digital infrared thermal imaging may be of interest. Thermal cameras detect heat emitted from the body and display itas a picture on a computer monitor. These images are unique tothe person and remain stable over time. It is because of thesecharacteristics that thermal imaging is a valuable and effectivescreening tool. Breast thermography has undergone extensive research since the1950s. There are over 800 peer-reviewed studies on breastthermography with more than 300,000 women included in largeclinical trials. An abnormal thermogram is 10 times moresignificant as a future risk indicator for than afirst order family history of the disease. A persistentlyabnormal thermogram carries a 22-fold higher risk of futurebreast cancer. Medical doctors who interpret the breast scans are boardcertified and endure an additional two years of training toqualify as a thermologist. Thermography is not limited by breastdensity and is ideal for women who have had cosmetic orreconstructive surgery. It is recommended that since cancertypically has a 15 year life span from onset to death, thatwomen begin thermographic screenings at age 25. Thermographic screening is not covered by most insurancecompanies but is surprisingly affordable for most people. Formore information or to find a certified clinic in your area, goto www.proactivehealthonline.com. About the author:Brenda Witt is co-owner of Proactive Health Solutions inSouthern California. She has worked in the medical field for 9years and is now an American College of Clinical Thermology(ACCT) certified thermographer in the Orange County area. Tocontact Brenda, email her at brenda@proactivehealthonline.com.
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