Breast cancer is more common than many women realize. It’s the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women after skin cancer. The average risk for a woman in the U.S. to develop breast cancer is roughly twelve percent; one out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That does not mean that your personal risk is twelve percent, however. The Breast Center offers a Breast Cancer Risk Quiz that can help you learn your personal cancer risk.
Why should you know your personal risk?
Your personal cancer risk depends on many different factors. Some of these factors are influenced by lifestyle choices while others are beyond your control. It’s important to learn your personal risk for cancer. Knowing your personal risk for breast cancer provides you with important information that can help you stay ahead of the disease.
Learning your personal risk can help you and your healthcare provider make informed decisions that will best protect you against breast cancer. As Dr. Danna Grear of The Breast Center puts it, “By being informed about cancer risk, people can take steps to shift the odds in their favor.”
Once you know your risk factors, you can help your sisters, daughters, sons, and other relatives become more aware of their risk factors.
How can you learn about your personal risk?
The Breast Center has a Breast Cancer Risk Quiz available to everyone. The quiz takes about one minute, and it can help you determine your personal risk for developing breast cancer. The information that you learn from taking the quiz can help you and your doctor work towards a plan for screening and prevention.
The best way to get a thorough sense of your own personal risk for breast cancer is through a personalize risk assessment. The Breast Center offers breast cancer risk assessment in Northwest Arkansas. Your consultation will be done with a registered nurse who is specially trained to determine your personal cancer risk. Your RN may then offer screening recommendations based on your risk for breast cancer. Contact The Breast Center to learn more.