Twenty years. That’s how much time is stolen from her friends, her family and her community when a Texas woman dies of breast cancer.
According to the Texas Cancer Registry, an average of 20.2 years of life were lost for each female breast cancer death in Texas from 2015-2019. In Williamson County, 267 women died of breast cancer during that time.
“Breast cancer makes up 30% of all new female cancers each year. That’s a staggering statistic that signifies the importance of mammograms and understanding your risk factors,” said a BSW spokesperson said.
Understanding your family history, knowing the symptoms of breast cancer and keeping up with regular mammograms are three areas Martinez said women should pay close attention to.
“Screenings are incredibly vital for your health because they can lead to early treatment of cancer, which results in a higher likelihood of survival.”
Overall, the five-year relative survival rate for female breast cancer was 99.4% if diagnosed at an early stage and 75.7% for those diagnosed at a late stage, according to the Texas Cancer Registry.
“Studies repeatedly show the most lives are saved when all women age 40 or older are screened every year,” said Cassandra Connerty, clinical director of the High Risk Breast Clinic at Baylor Scott & White.
She cites the American Society of Breast Surgeons and American College of Radiology research for this recommendation and adds that some women will benefit from starting earlier because of their family histories of higher risk.
A family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer or even significant prostate cancer can be a potential clue that there might be a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation in the family that can lead to a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
“If a woman is under age 40 and her family has a history of these cancers on either the maternal or paternal side, back to their greatgrandparents, then they need to have a conversation with their primary care provider because it could warrant the necessity of starting screening earlier,” said Connerty.
While the overall cancer death rate has declined in the U.S., the number of cancer survivors has increased. The National Cancer Institute reports that these trends show progress is being made against the disease, but much work remains. Smoking, a major cause of cancer, has declined but the rates of other risk factors, such as obesity, lack of regular exercise and alcohol consumption have increased.
“There’s no proven diet to decrease a women’s risk of developing breast cancer but being at the optimal weight for the patient will decrease the risk. Whatever gets the patient to the optimal weight is the best diet. But trumping optimal weight is exercise. Studies have shown 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week is sufficient for decreasing a woman’s risk for breast cancer – and many other cancers for both men and women – by 30-40%,” said Connerty. “On the other hand, alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk.”
Connerty said that drinking more than a couple of ounces nightly will significantly increase the chances a person will develop cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, the more alcohol a woman drinks the more the risk for breast cancer increases. If a person stops drinking, it can take years for the risk to decrease.
“The most important advice is, don’t miss your yearly exam. COVID-19 has been a real big hit. A lot of women missed not only one year but two years. Mammograms detect cancer years earlier than we could otherwise and the earlier we detect it the easier to treat with a better outcome,” Connerty said.
In Taylor, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center provides mammograms at their location, 305 Mallard Lane. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers free breast cancer screening tests for women who have low incomes or no health insurance. To see if you qualify visit https:// www.cdc.gov/cancer/ nbccedp/screenings.htm.
