Education For Healthy Life

Women have several options to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

• For women with especially strong family histories of breast cancer (such as those with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations), a prophylactic mastectomy (preventive removal of the breasts) may be considered. This appears to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by at least 95%. These women may also consider a prophylactic oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), which can reduce the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers.
• Women who are at higher than normal risk for developing breast cancer may consider chemoprevention (the use of drugs to reduce breast cancer risk). Two drugs, tamoxifen (Nolvadex) and raloxifene (Evista), are approved to lower breast cancer risk. These drugs are called selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs). A SERM is a medication that blocks estrogen receptors in some tissues and not others. Women that have gone through menopause (postmenopausal) and women who have not (premenopausal) may take tamoxifen, whereas raloxifene is only approved for postmenopausal women. Read more about drugs to reduce breast cancer risk at  www.cancer.net/whattoknow.
• Other ways to lower your risk of breast cancer include getting regular physical activity, staying at a normal weight, and limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.