Regular self-breast exams, as well as mammography can help detect breast cancer. If you are a female age 40-69, it is recommended that you have a mammogram at least once every other year.
According to the recent studies, for women in the United States, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer incidence and the second leading cause of cancer death. In the coming year, an estimated 190,000 new breast cancer cases will be diagnosed, and more than 40,000 women will die of breast cancer.
Current estimates are that one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Mammograms can detect abnormalities between 60 and 95 percent of the time, and 96 out of 100 women will live for five years or more if their breast cancer is found at an early stage. Risk factors for breast cancer include age, family history, early menarche (age 12 years or younger), late menopause (age 55 or older), late age at first pregnancy (age 30 years or older), or diet, and alcohol consumption.