Every three minutes... … a U.S. woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.
Here's what you need to know to beat it.
BY FAITH DAWSON Cox News Service
Most women know that breast cancer can be caught and treated successfully and that they should have a mammogram to detect it.

JEAN SHIFRIN/COX NEWS SERVICE

Yet many find reasons not to get one - they think the test hurts, they don't need one because they don't have a family history of the disease or they're too busy.

Aunita Barton of Marietta, Ga., had her first mammogram, an X-ray of the breast, at age 41 at the recommendation of her doctor. A suspicious mass was and found to be cancerous, and Barton underwent a mastectomy.

Lack of family history is no excuse for avoiding a mammogram, she said. "It really doesn't matter. Early detection is the key. Had I not had the mammogram, it probably would have been four or five years before I could have felt it."

Mammograms are important, but so is knowing your body.

"What I feel so strong about is, mammogram is not enough," said Penny Breneman of Dallas, Ga. Breneman had a normal mammogram at age 40 but was diagnosed with breast cancer only a year later. Even after her test came back negative, Breneman thought she felt a lump, which was ultimately seen by ultrasound.

Do the math The American Cancer Society estimates 178,480 new cases of breast cancer among U.S. women in 2007. That's about one diagnosis every 3 minutes.

"I really strongly believe that [the tumor] was there - it just wasn't seen on mammogram."

Mammograms show about 85 percent of breast tumors, said Dr. Kristin Corgan, a surgeon with Georgia Breast Care in Marietta. Women should keep getting the test, she said.

"Mammograms still do pick up some things very, very early that we would otherwise not see," Corgan said. "I really encourage people, even if they think they're wasting their time, please just do their mammograms once a year."

Who's at risk?

Breast cancer affects mostly women over 50, but the American Cancer Society recommends that women have clinical breast exams as part of a health care visit every three years up to age 40 and a clinical breast exam and a mammogram every year starting at 40. Talk to your doctor about starting earlier if you have symptoms or risk factors.

You could be at risk for breast cancer if: • You have a family history of breast cancer - specifically a mother, sister or daughter with the disease. • You had your first period before age 12. • You went through menopause after age 55. • You have never had a child or if you had your first child after age 30. • You have mutations in gene BRCA1 or BRCA2. "Ninety percent of all cancers, including breast cancers, are sporadic," says Selvi Palaniappan, a certified genetics counselor at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, "[meaning] it happens by chance. But about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are hereditary." A blood test determines who has the mutated gene, which can occur in men or women. • You have had breast cancer before. • You are overweight.

Ways that breast cancer can be detected

• Self-exam. "Know what's normal, what looks normal and what feels normal for you," said Debbie Saslow, director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society. "If that means doing a breast exam every month, go to it. If that just means being aware when you look in the mirror, when you take a shower, when you get dressed ... great." If you find a lump or something that seems abnormal, take your concerns to a doctor.

• Clinical exam. A physical exam done by a doctor or other medical professional.

• Mammogram. An X-ray of the breast (above). The results can be captured on film or sent to a computer.

• Ultrasound. A test done with sound waves; the results are seen on a computer. It often works well with mammograms.

• Magnetic resonance imaging. A test done with radio waves and strong magnets; the results are seen on a computer. MRI works for some high-risk patients, but it's expensive.

• Biopsy. If other tests show a mass in your breast, doctors take a sample of breast tissue with a needle or through surgery. A lab then studies the sample to see whether it's cancerous.