Breast cancer prevention

Learn about ways you can help lower your risk. At Advocate Health, we offer the education you need to stay on top of your breast health, plus a full range of preventive, peace-of-mind services.

To schedule an appointment, call 800-3-ADVOCATE or find a specialist online.

Understand your breast cancer risk factors

The cause of breast cancer is currently unknown, but certain risk factors have been identified. Some are beyond your control, including growing older, family history and certain gene changes. Fortunately, there are also factors several that you can control – some even through simple lifestyle changes:

• Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, especially for women after menopause.
• Eat right: Unhealthy eating habits are thought to be partly responsible for about 30% - 40% of all cancers. A diet low in fat and processed and red meat, high in fruits and vegetables and rich in whole-grains rather than refined ones can have other health benefits as well. There is also evidence that eating traditional soy foods such as tofu may lower the risk of breast cancer.
• Be physically active: Research shows a link between exercising four to seven hours per week and a lower risk of breast cancer.
• Limit alcohol: Women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer, compared to women who don't drink at all.
• Stop smoking: Smoking is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women.
• Watch your estrogen exposure: Because the female hormone estrogen stimulates breast cell growth, exposure to estrogen over long periods of time, such as with hormone replacement therapy, can increase the risk of breast cancer. Talk to your healthcare provider about non-hormonal options to treat menopausal symptoms.

Take control with our prevention programs

If you think you may be at higher risk for breast cancer, or just want to stay proactive, we offer comprehensive prevention and screening services at locations throughout the Chicago area.

Breast cancer screenings

Mammography doesn’t prevent cancer, but it is crucial to catching the disease in its earliest and most treatable stages. We offer digital and 3D mammography for superior accuracy, in serene and comfortable settings to help put you at ease.

Schedule your mammogram today. Same-day results are available.

Genetic counseling & testing

If you have a family history of breast cancer, our comprehensive cancer risk assessment program can help address any hereditary concerns, including the BRCA gene.

A board-certified genetic counselor will take a detailed family history, and look at lifestyle and environmental factors. Together, you can then determine if you should have a blood test to look for potentially harmful gene mutations.

Based on the results of testing, your counselor will work closely with you and your primary care doctor on prevention and risk-reduction strategies.

Learn more about genetic counseling and testing for breast cancer or cancer in general.

High-risk breast clinics

To help you understand your risk of developing breast cancer, your doctor may calculate your Tyrer-Cuzik score. The Tyrer-Cuzik model takes your age, breast health history, family healthy history and other factors into consideration to help determine your likelihood of developing breast cancer within the next 10 years. The model also estimates your lifetime risk of breast cancer. If your score is great than 20%, you’re typically considered high risk.

Advocate’s high-risk breast clinics offer education and resources to help you monitor your breast health and cancer risk, including:

• Additional screening recommendations such as MRIs and ultrasounds
• Further evaluation of genetic risk due to family history of breast cancer, genetic mutations, and breast conditions such as atypical ductal hyperplasia, atypical lobular hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ and lobular carcinoma in situ
• Preventive measures such as lifestyle modifications (e.g., smoking cessation and dietary changes)
• Preventive treatment options such as chemoprevention

Our clinics’ interdisciplinary teams combine the expertise of breast surgeons and breast surgery advanced practice clinicians, oncology advanced practice clinicians, genetic counselors, dieticians and local weight management resources.

If you have a high risk of breast cancer, ask your doctor about a referral to a high-risk breast clinic.

Preventive surgery

For the small percentage of women with a very high risk for breast cancer, preventive breast cancer surgery may be an option. Advocate Health’s skilled breast surgeons specialize in preventive mastectomy, with breast reconstruction done at the same time or at a later date to help you feel like yourself again. They also perform oophorectomy, the surgical removal of the ovaries, which reduces estrogen in the body that promotes the growth of some breast cancers. These procedures may reduce the risk of the disease by as much as 90%.