Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women, making it a significant health concern, says DR NIRJA CHAWLA

Any woman can get breast cancer, but there are some women who are more likely to develop it than others. Age is a major identifiable risk factor and more than 80 per cent of breast cancers occur in women more than 50 years of age. It does occur in younger age groups, but is rare in women less than 30 years. The chances of developing breast cancer at age 40 are one in 217, at age 50 they are one in 50 and at age 85 they are one in eight. The other risk factors on your check-list should be: any family member with breast or ovarian cancer, male family member with breast cancer, no full-term pregnancy, or having first child after 30 years of age and menopause after 55 years.

Irrespective of your risk status, remember that all women, low and high risk, should be screened for early detection of breast cancer and the best way to do this is to perform mammography (a special X-ray of the breast) every one to two years from age 50, according to the latest recommendations of the American College of Physicians(2007). Mammography between ages 40 and 50 years will depend upon an individual woman's concerns and risks. In cases where there is a strong family history of breast cancer, screening should begin at least, 10 years before the age breast cancer appeared in the family member.

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