In only about 15% of cases genetic factors affect the development of breast cancer

About 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, as well as a number of men. This is according to data published by the Cancer Society ahead of breast cancer awareness month

October 2010 will be celebrated in Israel and around the world as International Breast Cancer Awareness Month. During this month, the Cancer Society will conduct an information campaign to promote awareness of the importance of early diagnosis of breast cancer and will hold a series of events and collaborations with organizations in Israel. On the occasion of the awareness month, the Association for the fight against cancer presents a number of facts about breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant disease in Israel and the Western world in general. About 4,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year and about 900 die from the disease. According to a probabilistic calculation of the National Cancer Registry at the Ministry of Health based on the incidence to date, one in eight women in Israel may develop breast cancer during her lifetime. Some men are also at risk.

As the disease is diagnosed in the early stages, the chances of cure increase to about 90%. The number of women who recover from breast cancer is steadily increasing thanks to early detection and thanks to the improvement of treatment methods. Survival rates from breast cancer in Israel are among the highest in the world and recently a downward trend in mortality rates has begun in Israel.

As of today, early detection is the most effective means of curing breast cancer. In order to increase the chance of diagnosing the disease in its early stages, it is advisable for every woman of any age to get to know her breasts in order to notice changes and contact a doctor if they occur, at the same time it is advisable to be examined by a doctor, who specializes in manual breast examination, once a year. It is recommended that women aged 50 and over undergo a free mammogram once every two years as part of the national program for the early detection of breast cancer. For women who are in a risk group, who have a mother or sister who got cancer, the test is recommended from the age of 40 once a year, and sometimes earlier, according to the doctor's recommendations. Breast MRI is recommended for periodic screening in women who have been identified as carriers of mutations in the BRCA2, BRCA1 genes. All tests are included in the health basket.

Heredity versus environment

Genetic factors influence the development of breast cancer, however, in only about 15% of the cases, the malignancy results from the existence of a hereditary risk factor. In most hereditary cases, there is a family history characterized by multiple breast cancer cases in the same family. Today, several genes are known, in which congenital mutations significantly increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Of the genes known today, the most common cause of hereditary breast cancer is mutations in two genes called: BRCA1 and BRCA2. The risk among carriers is estimated to be approximately 80%-50% for the development of breast cancer up to the age of 70. This is compared to approximately 12% risk for the development of the disease in the general population. Pregnant women are advised to start follow-up at a much younger age, which includes breast examination, doctor's examination, MRI and sometimes additional diagnostic measures according to the decision of the attending physician. One of the means to prevent breast cancer in pregnant women is prophylactic bilateral oophorectomy and mastectomy, which can be accompanied by breast reconstruction. Despite the high efficiency, the attitude towards this issue is complex. This is an operation with many physical and mental consequences, the purpose of which is to prevent a tumor that may not develop at all, and even if it appears, it can be detected at an early stage, when the treatment is most effective. The Cancer Society believes that experience shows that the woman's choice of prophylactic circumcision should be accepted by the woman herself as an informed decision after examining the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure.

• The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that a quarter of all breast cancer cases in Israel and in the world are related to excess weight and a lifestyle with a lack of physical activity. The risk of getting breast cancer is 250% greater among women who are obese, compared to women of normal weight. It also turns out that western food increases the risk of developing breast cancer. According to one of the most significant scientific studies in this context, it was found that women in Japan suffer less from breast cancer than women in Western countries. The studies showed that in Japanese women who moved to live in Western countries and adapted to Western eating habits, more cases of breast cancer were discovered than in Japanese women.

Nutrition and walking

Following studies that determined that a healthy diet and lifestyle reduce the risk of breast cancer, the Cancer Society recommends that all women in Israel adopt a healthy lifestyle in order to reduce the risk of breast cancer. The consumption of animal fat and the preference for controlled use of olive oil, canola oil and tahini over other oils, to avoid drinking alcohol, and to limit its consumption to a maximum of one glass of wine or one glass of other alcoholic beverage per day, to engage in regular physical activity, such as brisk walking according to personal ability 3 - 6 times a week for 20-45 minutes, avoid smoking which is the number one preventable cause of death, be smart in the sun and avoid exposure without protective measures.

Recently, a group of researchers from Harvard University in the United States found that a diet rich in folic acid and vitamin B6, such as dark green vegetables, legumes, citrus fruits and their juices, cereals enriched with vitamins, may significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. The results of the study show that those women who ate more of these foods or took vitamin supplements, developed breast cancer at a lower rate compared to other women.

Men can also get breast cancer

Men can also get breast cancer in rare cases. According to the data of the Cancer Society, in the State of Israel, about 50 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. The cause of breast cancer in men is still not completely clear, but it seems that there are men who have a higher than average risk of getting breast cancer. This rare cancer appears in most cases in men over the age of 60 and is more common among men who are in the following populations: Men whose close family members (male or female) have had or are sick with breast cancer. Men whose relative was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts. Men whose family member has been diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 40. The risk of getting breast cancer in men increases when several family members have had ovarian cancer or colon cancer. There are rare cases in which men with high levels of estrogen, or men who have been exposed to repeated doses of radiation therapy (especially at a young age due to previous cancer) may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Men with a rare genetic condition called Klinefelter syndrome, and who have an extra female chromosome, have a higher risk of getting breast cancer. There are genetic counseling clinics that provide treatment and diagnosis to people who may have a high risk of getting cancer due to family history. If you are a man who belongs to one of the risk groups, the family doctor at the health insurance fund will refer you to one of these clinics,

On Monday, October 11, 2010, the Society for the War of Cancer will hold a celebratory seminar in the village of Maccabiah, during which the Society for the War of Cancer will bring together about 1,000 women from all over the country and from all strata of the population, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have dealt with the disease.