Hi I’m Dr. Alexander Salerno and today we’re going to have a conversation about breast cancer, the second most common occurring cancer in the U.S.

So it’s really important that you know your risk factors some risk factors that cannot be changed or altered include gender, age and family history, Other factors include dense breasts, ethnic background and race. Studies show caucasian women are more likely to get breast cancer compared to Asian, Latino and African-American women.

So what are some of the modifiable risk factors that you can do to reduce your chance of getting breast cancer? Limiting alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy weight, diet and exercise, and quitting smoking. If you have a child, breastfeeding has been shown to lower the risk of breast cancer as well. And finally, hormone therapy. If you need to be on hormone therapy it’s best to discuss the options with your doctor and together to choose a short-term therapy and ideally replace it with non-hormonal therapy when or if possible.

So if you’re concerned about breast cancer. talk your doctor. Ask some questions. Remember, knowledge is power.