Story by Grace R. Verhey

Observer Photo by Grace R. Verhey
Breast cancer experts Drs. Jeffrey Weitzel, left, and Benjamin Paz said women can reduce their risk of getting the disease by living healthier lives.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 – Women under age 40 are in danger of getting breast cancer but lifestyle changes may reduce their risk, health experts said.

Physicians from the American Cancer Society and the City of Hope cancer center in Southern California spoke Wednesday at a lunch panel in the Rayburn House office building.

Dr. Benjamin Paz, panel member and program co-director for the City of Hope Breast Center, told the lunch crowd of young Capitol Hill staffers that one in eight women in the room was likely to develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

“The important thing is that you cannot hide from your risk; you have to face it,” he said.

Paz said women who want to avoid breast cancer should stop drinking alcohol, stop smoking and adopt a regular exercise routine and a low-fat diet. He also said sustained use of oral contraceptives may raise the risk of breast cancer.

Paz said each year 250,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 40,000 women die from the disease – one death every ten minutes.

A surprising number of those diagnosed are younger than you might expect. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1,000 women under age 40 died from breast cancer in 2005.

In recognition of October’s Breast Cancer awareness month, the panel was organized by Women in Government Relations, a professional women’s networking group.

Dr. Jeffrey Weitzel, a City of Hope genetics researcher, said the average age of female patients in his breast cancer clinic is mid-30s.

He said women who know they have breast cancer in their family history should get genetic predisposition counseling – a process by which researchers examine a woman’s DNA to determine her risk for breast cancer. Paz said sometimes women are reluctant to get the testing.

“The real question is, would you want to know your risk?” he said.

Though many breast cancer cases are due to uncontrollable factors like family history or exposure to radiation, Paz said women can take action to reduce their risk of getting the disease.

“The incidence of breast cancer in this country is not due to genetics but mostly
due to our lifestyle and other issues,” he said.