One important statistic!

According to the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data published online at http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html#survival:

5 year survival for early breast cancer (confined to the breast) is 98%

Early diagnosis of breast cancer may be facilitated by:

• monthly self breast exam (SBE)
• clinical breast examination (CBE) for some, yearly; for others, 2x yearly
• mammography, yearly, for most after age 40
• sonography for dense breast tissue or question of mass
• breast MRI for very high risk
• Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI), new technology.

Ask what may be right for you!  Then, when you are certain you don't have breast cancer, ask what you can do to prevent it.  There are "actionable" steps for breast cancer prevention.

Prevention is the only thing better than early detection!

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

This content is general information and not personal medical advice.  Ask your doctor which of the above may be right for you.

Going to the doctor can be good for your health!

I hope that seems obvious to most, but sometimes I hear "I don't really want to go to the doctor, I think I'm fine".

A recent study may give some specific numbers for primary care visits and breast cancer outcomes.  (Good to be reassured every now and then!)

Researchers, lead by Dr Richard Roetzheim, published a study in the most recent Annals of Family Medicine http://annfammed.org/content/10/5/401.full correlating more doctor visits with with improved breast cancer outcomes.  

A woman who saw her primary care physician 10 or more times in the 24 months just prior to the diagnosis of breast cancer diagnosis was less likely to have a late stage diagnosis (by 50%) and less likely to die from breast cancer (by 40%).  

Certainly, this has to do with earlier diagnosis and following mammogram guidelines.  They also found the same association with non-primary care office visits.  And we have seen in previous blogs that mammography is not the only way to get an early diagnosis.  And prevention is even better.

Imagine what a breast specialist could do for you by individualizing your surveillance (maybe more often or different imaging) to your risk or offering lifestyle changes to lower risk or even treatments with prescription drugs.

In response to that statement at the top, "I think you are fine and I want to keep you that way!"


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year.


This content is general and not personal medical advice.

Celebrate another day without breast cancer!

Let's begin the week by celebrating another day without breast cancer.  

We all know what to do to reduce breast cancer risk: 

• BE LEAN
• BE ACTIVE
• REGULARLY EXERCISE

But one of the most recent comments was that we need to spread the word.  I know many of you have passed along the blog and I see many of you in the gym, but who we need to encourage are those not at the gym or not out biking or not walking.  We need to activate our sedentary friends!

Maybe a simple, "have you exercised yet today?" or "I missed you in the gym this morning" might be the tipping point that would get them moving.  I know that I feel better because I went on a run this morning!

That one person of those 86,000 preventable breast cancers could be your mother or daughter or sister or best friend!

Together we can prevent  86,000 breast cancers each year!


This content is general information and not personal medical advice, but feel free to share with anyone, so more can celebrate another day without breast cancer.

But, you ask, "WHY DO I WANT TO KNOW MY RISK?

That has been one of the comments I've seen and heard in response to recent blogs about breast cancer risk assessment tools (HALO, BREVAGen and BRACAnalysis).

BECAUSE we can do something about it!  

Each of us doesn't want to get cancer and some don't want to know anything about risk.  But, if you are one of those that wants to better understand your risk of getting breast cancer, then we can help.  Using the results of these tests we can design a breast health plan for you.

We have reviewed, in recent and past blogs, which test might benefit which person.  A way to make sense of all the tests:

• HALO for anyone 21 years to menopause
• BRACAnalysis for anyone with a strong, young, or male family history
• BREVAGen for anyone else 35 years who wants to know her risk

The HALO may find changes in the breast ductal cells that are thought to be precursors of cancer, long before cancer occurs (8 years in some studies) http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-good-news-about-halo-test.html.  

The BRCAnalysis detects mutations in genes that cause hereditary breast cancer.  See yesterday's post.

The BREVAGen helps uncover unsuspected risk for estrogen dependent cancers, which are the most common kind http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2012/07/even-better-news-about-brevagen-test.html.

We will review the breast health plan options dictated by the results of the tests in future blogs, from lifestyle changes to prescription drugs, from increased surveillance to surgery. 

For now, BE LEAN, BE ACTIVE and REGULARLY EXERCISE.

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

This content is general information and not personal medical advice.

Are you at risk for hereditary breast cancer?

We have blogged more often about sporadic and familial breast cancer because these are the most common types.  About 80% of all breast cancers are the so-called sporadic type which some say occurs by chance, but that means we don't yet understand the mechanism of occurrence.  Another 15%, called familial, probably have both genetic (someone in the family has had breast cancer) and environmental mechanisms.  The BREVAGen and HALO may be the tests for these women.

Another 5% have the hereditary type.  In these people (yes both men and women) there is an abnormal gene passed down from one or both of the parents.  It is important to find these individuals and we have a test for this gene abnormality called BRCA 1 & 2.  You may read more at https://www.mysupport360.com/mission/hereditary-cancer.php.

You may be at risk for hereditary breast cancer if:

• you have breast cancer before age 50
• you have a family member diagnosed before age 50
• you or a family member with ovarian cancer (at any age)
• male family member with breast cancer (at any age)
• you or a family member with triple negative breast cancer
• pancreatic and breast or ovarian cancer in the same family member
• Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry and personal or family history of breast cancer
• two breast cancers in the same person (one occurring <50yr)
• two family members (on the same side) with breast cancer and one <50yr
• three family members with breast cancer (on the same side and any age)
• family member with a previously identified BRCA 1 or 2 mutation

Wow, long list and complicated, but important, so we may find out who would benefit from the BRCA 1/2 test.

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

This content is general information and not personal medical advice.  If you have any of these points mentioned then ask your doctor about the test.  If you don't have a doctor, please call 512-451-5788 or email me www.owenwinsettmd.com or find a doctor at http://www.bracnow.com/find-provider/index.php.

One more reason to consult your breast doctor.

You probably saw the recent article in the news that "mammograms may increase the risk for breast cancer in some women", for example http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/mammograms-boost-breast-cancer-risk-women/story?id=17181774#.UFnZxELDPww.   Many women have asked me about it.

This "news item" paraphrases a very interesting study reported in the British Medical Journal (open access) http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e5660?g=widget_default#ref-1.

The study included 1993 women >18 years with either BRCA 1 or 2 mutations from France, UK and the Netherlands.  They found that radiation, even from a mammogram, increased the risk of breast cancer by 43%, if performed before the age of 30.  Importantly, there was no increased risk associated with mammograms after the age of 30 years.  

We have known for some time that radiation, in women, at a young age increases breast cancer risk http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15642178?dopt=Abstract&access_num=15642178&link_type=MED, but this new study suggests at a lower dose than previously thought.  It is important to note that these were women with a genetic mutation who may be more sensitive to radiation effects.    For whatever reason, mammograms before the age of 30 may not be the best option for BRCA 1 and 2 mutation carriers.

Fortunately we now have other options to offer these women and can give each an individualized breast health plan for screening and risk reduction!  We can determine whether whole breast ultrasound, MRI or other screening is best, tailoring our recommendation to each patient. 


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

This content is general information and not personal medical advice, but if you know someone who is struggling with this issue, please have them call 512-451-5788.

Celebrate another day without breast cancer!

Welcome to all the new subscribers and thank you for following!

This blog is all about how to prevent breast cancer, from lifestyle changes to medical treatments, from routine screening to supplemental screening for those at higher risk.  You may also find out about the latest risk assessment tests here.

Feel free to browse through the blogs or look-up specific key words in the search block at the right.


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

The last word about mammograms!

We can thank our friends "down-under" for this excellent study.  A recent study from the University of Melbourne shows that getting a regular screening mammogram saves lives! The risk of dying of breast cancer was half in the screening group!  You may read more at  http://newsroom.melbourne.edu/news/n-900.

This most recent study to show the benefits of regular mammograms is a case-control study reporting the follow-up of 4000 women, ages 50-69 years, comparing those women who got screening mammograms to those who did not.  The conclusion was an average 49% reduction in breast cancer mortality for those women participating in regular screening.  

In the simplest terms: those women who got regular screening mammogram cut the risk of dying of breast cancer in half!

This statistic caused the author, Dr Carolyn Nickson to say, "I believe it is time to move from the debate about whether screening [mammograms] reduce mortality" (because they do) ...to ...improving screening participation.

Make certain your friends get regular mammograms!  


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!


This content is general information and not personal medical advice.

Celebrate another day without breast cancer!

Let's look at breast cancer from a different direction.


When you get up every hour and walk around your desk:

• the activity is reducing your risk for breast cancer

When you go for a walk or go to the gym:

• the exercise is reducing your risk for breast cancer

When you eat only half a piece of cake for dessert (or none!):

• restricting calories reduces your risk for breast cancer

When you put down the coke and have water:

• yes, you are reducing your risk of breast cancer

When you choose Brussels sprouts or broccoli:

• you are reducing your risk for breast cancer

When you put down that second big glass of wine:

• you are reducing your risk for breast cancer

When you read this blog and do these things:

• you are reducing your risk for breast cancer

And when you do these things, you should:

• celebrate another day without breast cancer!

When you share this blog with others:

• we can prevent more breast cancers

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!

This content is information and not personal medical information, but if you would like an individual prescription for breast cancer prevention, please call www.owenwinsettmd.com.

But, does it prevent breast cancer?

We have seen in previous blogs that those women who use estrogen and progesterone longer that 5 years have more breast cancers that those women who don't use hormone replacement http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-experts-agree-about-hormone.html.

During "Menopause Awareness Month" I thought we should consider other options for those women having hot flashes.  I considered what we know about  the physiology of the "hot flash" in a prior blog http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2012/05/so-you-dont-want-hot-flash.html and gave what many consider the safest treatment: be lean, be active and regularly exercise (which also leads to fewer breast cancers!).

For some that isn't enough to make the hot flashes go away and the North American Menopause Society put out a short summary of natural remedies worth reviewing  http://www.menopause.org/for-women/articles-about-menopause/natural-remedies-for-hot-flashes.

Note that all of the remedies mentioned have side-effects and clearly any one that you decide to take should be discussed with your doctor.


May you be lean, be active, regularly exercise and have fewer hot flashes.


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!


This content is information and not personal medical advice, so before you begin any remedy listed by the NAMS, consult your physician!