Prevention Women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer may be able to take the drug tamoxifen to reduce their risk of developing the disease. However, tamoxifen does appear to increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer and possibly cardiovascular disease, so the decision to take the medication needs to be weighed carefully. Your doctor can help you to assess the risks and benefits of such treatment.
For those women who have the gene mutation (
BRCA-1 and BRCA-2) frequently associated with breast cancer,
prophylactic mastectomy is an option. Women choosing this option elect to have both breasts removed before developing cancer rather than run the risk of developing the disease later in their lifetime. Studies have shown that such surgery can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by approximately 90%. Other women elect to have a prophylactic mastectomy on their cancer-free breast after developing cancer in the other breast. Your doctor can best advise you if you are considering prophylactic mastectomy.
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