Breast cancer affects the lives of millions of women and their loved ones every day. With one in eight women expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime, chances are you know someone who has faced this disease, whether it’s your mother, sister, friend or coworker. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but awareness is only the first step. Understanding routine screening recommendations and taking action by scheduling your mammogram can make all the difference.
An estimated 321,910 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026. In Texas alone, an estimated 24,270 women are projected to be diagnosed this year.1 Routine breast cancer screening can save lives, yet many women delay mammograms or are unsure when and how to get screened. Here’s what to know.
Starting at age 25, talk with your health care provider at least once every three years for a breast risk assessment, risk reduction counseling and a clinical breast exam. These checkups can help you understand your personal risk factors and how to reduce your risk, as well as find out what is “normal” for your breasts. If you are at increased risk because of a genetic mutation or family history of breast cancer, your provider may recommend you start screening earlier.
Starting at age 40, get screened every year with a 2D or 3D mammogram. If you are at a higher risk, talk to your health care provider about other methods of, or more frequent, screening. If you have dense breasts, as nearly half of all women do, your provider may recommend additional testing, such as breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or breast ultrasound, to confirm cancer was not missed on the mammogram. (Greater breast tissue density has been linked with a higher risk for breast cancer and can make spotting breast cancer on a mammogram more difficult.)
Although breast cancer rates are higher in white Americans, Black people are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and more likely to die of the disease. Women are more likely to be diagnosed, but men can also have breast cancer. Other risk factors include being overweight or having obesity, being over age 40, giving birth to your first child after age 30, using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and progesterone for more than 10 years, having BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 or other gene mutations, and having a personal or family history of breast, colorectal or ovarian cancer. Using tobacco products and drinking alcohol also increases your risk.
In addition to routine screening, you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by avoiding all forms of tobacco, exercising for at least 30 minutes at least five days a week, avoiding alcohol and 1American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2026. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2026. maintaining a healthy weight. Consider genetic testing if you have a family history of breast cancer.
Breast cancer awareness is important, but action is what makes a difference. Take charge of your health and schedule your breast cancer screening. Early Detection = Better Outcomes.
To learn more, visit www.preventcancer.org/breast.
Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Lorena Saenz Gonzalez, spouse of Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) and a member of the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families® Program.
