Breast Cancer

About

This October, New Jersey Hematology Oncology is proud to participate in National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point in their lives.The good news is that most women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early.

• If you are a woman age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often to get them.
• If you are a woman age 50 to 74, be sure to get a mammogram every 2 years. You may also choose to get them more often.

Questions to ask your doctor

It helps to have questions for the doctor written down ahead of time. Print this list of questions and take it to your next appointment. You may want to ask a family member or close friend to go with you to take notes.

• Do I have risk factors for breast cancer?
• Based on my risk factors, what are my chances of getting breast cancer?
• What will happen when I go to get mammograms?
• How long will it take to get the results of my mammograms?
• If I don’t hear back about the results of my mammograms, does that mean everything is okay

If you are under age 50, you might want to ask:

• Should I start getting regular mammograms? If so, how often?
• What are the pros and cons of getting mammograms before age 50?

If you are between ages 50 and 74, you might want to ask:

• How often should I get mammograms?
• What are the pros and cons of getting mammograms every 2 years instead of every year?