Breast Cancer Prevention

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While there’s no clear way to prevent breast cancer for sure, there are ways you may be able to reduce your risk.

Take Charge of Your Health

If you have an abnormal mammogram, breast lump or other breast concern, the breast specialists at Fred Hutch Cancer Center's Breast Health Program can help.

Call 206.606.6487

Factors That Lower Breast Cancer Risk

These factors may lower your breast cancer risk:

  • Being physically active
  • Being a heathy weight after menopause
  • Eating a low-fat diet after menopause
  • Drinking no alcohol or reducing your alcohol intake
  • Breastfeeding

Prevention for Those at Higher Risk

If you’re at higher risk for breast cancer, you may have additional options, including medicines or surgery.

Chemoprevention

Using medicines to reduce cancer risk is sometimes called chemoprevention. For breast cancer, physicians use hormone therapies, like selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), like tamoxifen and raloxifene, and aromatase inhibitors to decrease risk.

Risk-Reducing Surgery

Risk-reducing surgery commonly means having an operation to remove both breasts (bilateral mastectomy) before breast cancer develops. This is also called a preventive or prophylactic mastectomy. This is only considered an option if you have a high-risk genetic mutation that elevates breast cancer risk or a strong family history of breast cancer that places you at 40% or higher lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Prevention at Fred Hutch

Fred Hutch Cancer Center offers services, including personalized prevention, screening and surveillance plans, to reduce breast cancer risk and detect breast cancer early.  Our teams work together to get you to the right program or clinic.

Learn about our Breast Health Program and Breast and Ovarian Cancer Prevention Clinic.