Breast Cancer Symptoms and Risks
Symptoms
- A lump or thickening in or near the breast or in the underarm area
- Nipple tenderness
- A change in the size or shape of the breast
- The nipple is turned inward into the breast
- Nipple discharge
Risk Factors
- Age – breast cancer is uncommon before age 40 and most common after age 60
- Family history of breast cancer in a mother, sister or daughter, especially if it occurred before age 40
- Early age of onset of menstrual periods (before age 12)
- Late age of onset for menopause (after age 55)
- The older the age a woman has her first child, the higher her risk of breast cancer
- The use of hormone replacement therapy (estrogens)
Statistics
- One in eight women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in her lifetime
- 62% of Iowa women over the age of 40 have had a mammogram in the last year
Tests
- Women in their 40’s should have mammograms every one to two years
- Women over age 50 should have mammograms every year
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Mercy Cancer Center View Map
411 Laurel Street, Suite 1380
Des Moines, Iowa
(515) 643-8206
Toll-free 1-888-221-4849
- Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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