A Conversation on Breast Health with MSU Health Care Breast Surgical Oncologists

<p>Breast health is the topic on this episode of <a href="http://go.msu.edu/archives">MSU Today</a>. <a href="https://healthcare.msu.edu">MSU Health Care</a> breast surgery oncologists Jessica Henderson and Harvey Bumpers talk about risk factors and their treatment and practice philosophies.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Conversation highlights</strong>:</p><p> </p><p>(3:03) – “We’re both breast surgery oncologists, specifically that means that we primarily treat breast cancer. Breast surgery as an umbrella also focuses on benign breast disease. And we make sure we’re screening the women who are high-risk for developing breast cancer and make sure they’re being assessed throughout their lifetime. We see a really wide spectrum of breast disease.”</p><p> </p><p>(4:35) – “Some breast cancers are genetic. But one of the myths we hear a lot is that a lot of women think that all breast cancer is genetic and that if they don’t have a family history that they’re not likely to develop breast cancer. Only a small portion of breast cancers are genetic. Having a family history does increase your risk, but it’s not required to develop breast cancer. About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime before the age of 85 even without a family history.”</p><p> </p><p>(6:05) – “For most women, mammogram is the best initial screening test for identifying cancer at an early stage.”</p><p> </p><p>(7:15) – “A myth we hear a lot is that if a woman does not have any symptoms in her breast such as a palpable lump or pain, they feel that they can’t have cancer because they associate those things with having cancer. Most of the time, especially early-stage cancers do not have any symptoms.”</p><p> </p><p>(10:05) – “There are some risk factors that women can change and some that they can’t. They can’t change the genetics and the family history. But things they can change to protect themselves from developing breast cancer are lifestyle modifications like exercising regularly, reducing alcohol intake, and reducing their overa