Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women, affecting approximately 10% of women in the Western world. Approximately 20% of victims die from the disease. Risk factors include having no children, delaying first childbirth, not breastfeeding, early menarche (the first menstrual period), late menopause and taking hormone replacement therapy.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute recommends screening mammography with a baseline mammogram at age 35, mammograms every two years beginning at age 40, and then annual mammograms beginning at age 50. Women with a family history of breast cancer should start screening mammography at an earlier age, and it is usually suggested to start screening at an age that is 10 years less than the age at which a relative was diagnosed with breast cancer.
