Baton Rouge Clinic Health Library

Cancer > Breast Cancer Update 2009

     Published: 09, 2009

In 2009, approximately 192,370 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the US, with 40,170 individuals dying from the disease. That is a 5% increase from last year for new cancers and a 3% decrease in deaths. It is now known that 1 in 7 women in the United States have a risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime. Studies have shown that annual screening of women with no symptoms has decreased the number of women who die from breast cancer by approximately 45%. To make these numbers more personal, the annual incidence in breast cancer for women in Louisiana is 121 per 100,000 and 131 per 100,000 for East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana State Cancer Registry and SEER Data). The US national incidence was 123 per 100,000.

These numbers are very concerning for those of us that are committed to fighting breast cancer. Although Breast Cancer Awareness events and recognition is done yearly in October, breast cancer awareness needs to be a daily event for all of us. Your role in this fight starts with knowing your risk factors and breast cancer screening.

Average risk women

• No Symptoms
• No history of invasive breast cancer, ductal carcinoma in situ or lobular carcinoma in situ, or atypia
• No family history of breast cancer in first degree relatives (parents or siblings), or no suggestion/evidence of a hereditary syndrome
• No history of mantle radiation (radiation therapy used to treat Hodgkin’s disease)

High risk women

• Family History of Breast Cancer (first degree relative)
• Diagnosis of atypia or lobular carcinoma in situ on a breast biopsy
• History of having been treated with mantle radiation before the age of 32

Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines

Average Risk Women

• Annual clinical breast examination(CBE) beginning at age 25
• Annual Mammography beginning at age 40
• Women should be aware of any changes in their breast by conducting monthly self breast examinations(SBE) beginning at age 20

Women with Family History (first degree relative)

• CBE every six months starting no later than ten years earlier than the age at which the youngest family member was diagnosed with breast cancer
• Annual mammography starting ten years earlier than the age at which the youngest family member was diagnosed with breast cancer (but not earlier than the age 25 and no later than age 40)
• Consider annual MRI (consult with breast specialist)
• Women should be aware of any changes in their breast by conducting monthly SBE beginning at age 20

Women with a Diagnosis of Atypical Hyperplasia or Lobular Carcinoma

• CBE every six months beginning at the time of diagnosis
• • Annual mammography beginning at the time of diagnosis
• Consider annual MRI (consult with breast specialist)
• Women should be aware of any changes in their breast by conducting monthly SBE beginning at age 20

Women with a History of Mantle Radiation

• CBE every six months beginning no later than five years post-treatment
• Annual mammography starting eight years after radiation treatment
• Consider annual MRI (consult with breast specialist)
• Women should be aware of any changes in their breast by conducting monthly SBE beginning at age 20

Here at The Baton Rouge Clinic we provide professional breast screening and diagnostic procedures to include: screening and diagnostic digital mammography, diagnostic ultrasound, and ultrasound guided core biopsies using Mammotome. The Baton Rouge Clinic also has on staff breast care surgical oncology consultants trained to perform mastectomy, skin and nipple sparing mastectomy, breast conservation, lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy, and stereotactic biopsy. 

Everett J. Bonner, MD
Specializing in Surgery

The Baton Rouge Clinic, AMC, offers this information as a courtesy service. Please remember that medical knowledge is always evolving and we cannot represent that any of our information is absolutely current. Please consult a physician before taking any medical action based on information gathered from this or any website.