Breast Cancer

What is it?

Breast cancer is cancer that begins in the breast. While much more common in those assigned female at birth, those assigned male at birth can also get breast cancer.

Breast cancer is highly curable if found early. Unfortunately, many breast cancers are diagnosed once it has already spread. Early Detection = Better Outcomes^®, so it’s important to get screened, reduce your risk, and talk with your health care provider about your health history.

Three happy women in their 40s and 50s standing in park

Get screened

Breast cancer screening guidelines apply to those who were assigned female at birth and have breasts, and who are at average risk. Transgender individuals should talk with their health care provider about their specific screening needs.

If you are at average risk, follow these screening guidelines:*

*Source: National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)

Ages 25–39:

Three-year check-up. Talk with your health care provider at least once every three years for risk assessment, risk reduction counseling and a clinical breast exam.

Beginning at age 40:

Annual check-up and 2D OR 3D screening mammogram (breast tomosynthesis). Get screened annually if you are at average risk. Discuss the benefits and risks of screening tests with your health care provider and talk about which screening method is right for you.

2D or 3D mammograms

2D mammograms take a picture of the breast from the side and from above. In 3D mammography, several pictures of the breast are taken from various angles to create a 3D image. This helps improve the accuracy of the test, which can be particularly helpful for women with dense breast tissue, which may make it harder to see cancers. Both types of mammograms are appropriate screening options.

Increased risk: Earlier or more frequent testing

If you are at increased risk for breast cancer because of a genetic mutation or personal or family history, you may need to be screened differently (starting earlier, varied intervals or additional tests). Follow the recommendations of your health care provider. Other testing options, in addition to a 2D or 3D mammogram, may include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or breast ultrasound.

Insurance coverage

Under federal law, private insurers and Medicaid are required to cover services that have an “A” or “B” grade by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Some insurers may choose to cover services for additional groups of people. Medicare coverage for preventive services is limited to tests for which Congress has explicitly authorized coverage.

Guidelines from the USPSTF recommend biennial (every other year) mammograms for people ages 40 to 74. NCCN recommends annual (every year) mammograms for people 40 and older (with no “end” age).

Always check with your insurance provider to find out if you’ll be covered for routine breast cancer screening.

Know your risk

While breast cancer rates are higher in white people, studies report higher breast cancer death rates in Black people, who are also more likely to get diagnosed with breast cancer in later stages.

If you were assigned female at birth, you are at increased risk for breast cancer. You are also at increased risk if you:

Are overweight or medically classified as obese.
Are not physically active.
Are currently using or have recently used birth control pills.
Are over 40.
Never had children or had your first child after age 30.
Used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and progesterone for more than 10 years.
Have mutations of BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 or other genes.
Have a personal or family history of breast, colorectal or ovarian cancer. (Talk to your health care provider about genetic testing.)
Have dense breasts.
Had high-dose radiation therapy on your chest.
Use tobacco products, including cigarettes, or used them in the past.
Drink alcohol in excess.
Have certain benign (non-cancerous) breast conditions, such as atypical hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS).

Reduce your risk

You may reduce your risk of breast cancer through these lifestyle-related modifications:

Avoid all forms of tobacco.

If you do use tobacco, quit. Quitting will have an immediate positive impact on your cancer risk.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week.

Breastfeeding (chestfeeding) for at least one year during your lifetime (not per birth) may lower the risk of breast cancer.

Avoid or limit alcohol.

To reduce your risk of cancer, it’s best to avoid alcohol completely. If you do choose to drink, limit your drinking to no more than one drink a day if you were assigned female at birth and no more than two drinks a day if you were assigned male at birth.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Get screened for breast cancer based on guidelines and your personal risk factors.

Signs & symptoms

If you notice any of these symptoms, take action and talk to your health care provider right away:

A lump, hard knot or thickening in the breast
A lump under your arm
A change in the size or shape of your breast
Nipple pain, tenderness or discharge, including bleeding
Itchiness, scales, soreness or rash on your nipple
A nipple turning inward or inverted
A change in skin color and texture such as dimpling, puckering or redness
A breast that feels warm or swollen

Treatment options

Treatment depends on the type and stage of the breast cancer and your medical condition:

Surgery

The most common treatment is surgery to remove the cancer (lumpectomy), combined with radiation. In some cases, it is necessary to remove one or both breasts (mastectomy).

Chemotherapy

This is a treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.

Radiation therapy

This treatment uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.

Hormone therapy

Since some types of breast cancer can use specific hormones to grow, this treatment may be used to slow or stop its growth. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.

Immunotherapy

This type of cancer treatment utilizes your immune system to respond to the cancer to detect and destroy abnormal cells. It may be used alone or in combination with another therapy before or after surgery.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy can be a drug or antibody that targets the genes or proteins that affect how cancer cells grow, divide and spread. It may be used alone or in combination before or after surgery.

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