Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. An estimated 40,170 women are expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone. Today, there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States.

Nearly 40 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States could be prevented if women kept a healthy weight, drank less alcohol, exercised more and breastfed their babies, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The report, which reviewed 81 new studies on the links between lifestyle and cancer, showed that 70,000 breast cancer cases could be prevented in the United States alone every year.

"We are now more certain than ever that by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and limiting the amount of alcohol they drink, women can dramatically reduce their risk," Dr. Martin Wiseman of the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund, who led the study, said in a statement.

"We estimate that almost 40 per cent of breast cancer cases in the United States, or about 70,000 cases every year, could be prevented by making these straightforward everyday changes," added the AICR's Susan Higginbotham.

Many studies have shown a low-fat diet, regular exercise, keeping a lean weight and breastfeeding babies can prevent breast cancer. However, a significant percentage of cases are caused by faulty genes and not linked to lifestyle.


The EARLY Act (The Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act) -  A Congressional bill sponsored by Debbie Wasserman Schultz  D-Fla, a breast cancer survivor. 

Educating Young Women about Breast Cancer. Breast cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries. It strikes women from all backgrounds, races, and ethnicities, the rich and the poor, the old and the young.  Yes, you did read that last part correctly. Despite the perception, young women can and do get breast cancer and the result can be devastating.  In 2008, the American Cancer Society estimated that there would be 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in women. Of these cases, more than 10,000 – 11,000 of these women would be under 40 years of age.  Although the incidence of breast cancer in young women is much lower than that of older women, young women's breast cancers are generally more aggressive, are diagnosed at a later stage, and result in lower survival rates. In fact, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in young women under the age of 40.  Additionally, certain ethnic groups, including Ashkenazi Jews, and African American young women, have an increased risk of breast cancer.  Despite these facts, many young women mistakenly believe that breast cancer is only a problem for women over 40 years old. As a result, diagnoses are delayed and young women's lives are cut short.  We cannot afford to be silent about these specific risks and how they impact certain communities; not when our children's lives are on the line. To that end, I've introduced the Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act, or EARLY Act. This legislation directs the Centers for Disease Control to develop and implement a national education campaign about the threat breast cancer poses to young women of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and the particular heightened risks of certain groups.  The campaign will help educate young women and better enable health care professionals to identify the specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer, which will lead to early diagnoses and saved lives. The bill calls for $9 million a year from 2010 to 2014. The EARLY Act will also provide grants to organizations that support young women diagnosed with breast cancer in order to receive the assistance they need—including social and psychological support, fertility preservation counseling, and recurrence prevention training.