Most Breast Lumps Aren't Cancer

You may have read headlines that say your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 8.  Sound scary?  Well, not if you understand some key facts.

Lifetime Risk Isn't Your Risk Today

Lifetime risk is very different than age-specific risk.  For instance, between the ages of 30 to 40, your risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 252 (or 0.3%).  Because breast cancer risk becomes greater as women age, the 1 in 8 figure simply says that a woman born today has that chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer sometime during her life.  Other age-specific risk rations are:

 

Age Range	Ratio	Percent (%)
40 to 50	1 in 68	1.4
50 to 60	1 in 35	2.8
60 to 70	1 in 27	3.7

A More Optimistic Viewpoint

The 1 in 8 ration translates to about a 13% risk.  If you have a lifetime risk of 1 in 8 of developing breast cancer, you also have a lifetime chance of 7 in 8 of not developing breast cancer.

What If You Are The 1 in 8?

Breast cancer survival rates have increased since the early 1990s, probably because of increases in breast cancer awareness and screening, changes in breast cancer risk factors and improved treatment.  When detected early, cure rates are 90% and up.

The Bottom Line

Practice healthy lifestyle behaviors.  Do monthly breast self -exams.  Make an annual appointment with your OB/GYN for a clinical breast exam.  Follow their recommendations for getting a mammogram.  Participate in worthy events to benefit breast cancer research.  But, don't allow yourself to be consumed with worry, because the odds are in your favor.