October marks National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

About one in eight women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer during her lifetime, according to Breastcancer.org, a nonprofit organization that provides information on breast cancer. Most breast cancers are invasive, meaning they grow into normal, healthy tissues, rather than staying within the milk ducts or lobules in the breast, according to the organization.

In 2011 in the United States, an estimated 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in women, and about 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer were expected to be diagnosed in men, according to Breastcancer.org.

As National Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, we bring you the facts about breast cancer and prevention.

Understanding breast cancer

“Breast cancer remains a common disease, with one of every eight women experiencing it in their lifetime,” said Dr. Linda L. Reilman, president of the Ohio State Radiological Society. ” … All women should become aware and participate actively in their health care so that a greater impact can be made, and we are able to beat and outlive the disease.”

We asked Reilman, also the medical director of the Department of Radiology and of Women’s Health Choice at Fort Hamilton Hospital, to talk about the basics of the disease, how it progresses and risk factors.

Q: What are the stages of breast cancer?

A: “The most common system for staging breast cancer is the AJCC/TNM system. The tumor size and spread (T), whether or not the tumor has spread to lymph nodes (N) and whether it has spread to distant organs (M), are graded. All of this information is then expressed as a stage with a Roman numeral, from 0 (ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS], or cancer confined within the ducts) to IV (advanced, usually metastatic and spread to other sites). The higher the number usually means a more advanced cancer. A patient’s five-year survival rate ranges from 93 percent at stage 0, to 15 percent at stage IV.” (The T stands for “tumor.” The N stands for “nodes.” The M stands for “metastasis.”)

Q: What is the average age range for people who get breast cancer?

A: “Breast cancer can occur at any age, but is rare in the very young before age 30. The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as we get older, and about two of every three cases are in women age 55 or older.”

Q: What are the causes of breast cancer?

A: “We do not yet know exactly what causes breast cancer, but have identified certain risk factors that can affect your chance of getting the disease.”

Q: What are the risk factors for developing breast cancer?

A: “Risk factors you cannot change include genetics, family history, race, age and just being a woman. Other risk factors that have some influence on getting breast cancer that we can control include lifestyle issues, like being overweight or obese, lack of exercise, smoking or excessive alcohol use. The relative risk with the use of some hormones such as in birth control pills or hormones after menopause should be discussed with your physician, as these can vary, and other factors need to be considered.”

Q: What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

A: “The most common sign of breast cancer is the development of a mass or lump in the breast. Other symptoms can include nipple discharge (and) occasionally pain, but any new or unusual change in the breast should be checked out.”

Q: How is breast cancer diagnosed?

 A: “It is occasionally found on clinical examination, either by the patient or the patient’s doctor, usually feeling a new lump or change in the breast. The best screening exam remains mammography, which can find cancer before you can feel it in most cases. It is widely accessible to patients, fairly easy and cost effective for screening a large number of women, and remains the best test in overall sensitivity. It is recommended that women of routine risk obtain a mammogram every year after age 40. Other imaging modalities such as breast ultrasound and MRI imaging are of additional use mostly in higher risk or symptomatic patients.”

Q: How is breast cancer treated?

 A: “Main types of treatment include surgery and radiation therapy for local treatment of the disease in the breast. Systemic treatments include chemotherapy and hormone therapy. Not every patient needs all types of treatment, and these are given based on each patient’s individual situation.”

Preventing breast cancer

“October is our opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of breast cancer awareness, the importance of having a yearly mammogram, the importance of having a yearly clinical breast exam by a physician or health care professional, the importance of breast self-awareness, (and) the importance of awareness not only in October but year-round,” said Dr. Naomi M. Kane, medical director of Miami Valley Hospital Breast Centers.

We talked to Kane about what women can do to lower their risk of developing breast cancer.

Q: Why should women undergo mammography and breast examinations?

A: “Yearly mammograms may detect breast cancer before symptoms occur while the breast cancer is still in an early, more treatable stage. Regular clinical breast exams can identify changes in the breast which should be evaluated. A mammogram is the only medical imaging screening test proven to reduce breast cancer deaths.”

Q: How often should women undergo mammography and breast examinations?

A: “American Cancer Society, American College of Radiology, Society of Breast Imaging, (and) American College of (Obstetricians and Gynecologists), amongst others, recommend that all women have yearly mammograms beginning at age 40. Women known to be at high risk may benefit from starting sooner with more frequent evaluations.”

Q: How often should a woman conduct a breast self-examination?

A: “Women should be familiar with their breasts and promptly report changes to their health care provider. Periodic, consistent breast self-examination may facilitate breast self-awareness. Premenopausal women may find breast self-examination most informative when performed at the end of menses.”

Q: Should men undergo mammography and breast examinations and conduct breast-self examinations, too?

A: “Men, like women, should be aware of their own breasts and report any changes to his or her clinician. Men, too, can get breast cancer with (about) 1,500 cases diagnosed annually in the U.S. … The most common presentation is a firm, painless mass near the nipple. As it is an uncommon cancer in the population, and current indications for breast cancer screening males are lacking, men are excluded from the mammographic screening guidelines. Currently, there is no consensus as to what, if any, subgroup of men might benefit from (a) screening mammography. Therefore, this should be discussed with their health care provider.”

Q: What steps should a person take to reduce his or her risk of getting breast cancer?

A: “The first step is understanding breast cancer is not a preventable disease, but there are steps to reduce the risk. Women (and men) should be aware of her (or his) own breasts and should report any changes to her or his health care provider; periodic self breast exams may facilitate this. (A) clinical breast exam every one to three years by a health care provider is recommended (for ages) 20 to 40. (An) annual screening mammography is recommended for women starting at age 40 to help detect cancer in its earliest stages. Lead a healthy and active lifestyle.”