Why is the Sister Study So Important For Senior Women?
The risk for breast cancer increases as you get older. It is the most common cancer (excluding skin cancer) and the most common cause of cancer death in women over the age of 65. Research shows that breast cancer rates rise as women age, with a notable increase among women between the ages of 50 and 75.
During the past 30 years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer after age 50. Today, 48% of all breast cancers are diagnosed in women older than 65. It is also estimated that the number of breast cancer cases in older women may increase by as much as 30% over the next 10 years as the baby boom population continues to age.
Research suggests that the number of breast cancer deaths in women aged 50 to 75 years can be reduced by 25% to 30% if women have routine screening mammograms. In fact, there is some evidence that screening mammograms for women 65 and older are more effective in the detection of breast cancer than are mammograms in younger women.
As the number of breast cancer cases increases in the coming years, information from the Sister Study will improve our understanding of the roles played by environment, lifestyles, and our genes in the development of breast cancer.
Since breast cancer is much more common in older women, it is extremely important that many women over the age of 55 enroll in the Sister Study . The information they provide about their jobs, places they lived, and medical history will help us to understand the reasons that some women are more likely to get breast cancer.
In addition, the samples of blood, toenails, and urine will increase our understanding of changes that may occur in women's bodies before they develop breast cancer. While these results may not benefit individual women now, they have the potential to help future generations of women - their daughters, granddaughters, nieces.
If you are aged 55 or older and your sister had breast cancer but you have never had breast cancer yourself, it is especially important that you join the Sister Study. Of course, we also need women of all ages between 35 and 74. Remember, our efforts to understand breast cancer will only grow stronger woman by woman, sister by sister.
For Your Information According to the National Cancer Institute , African American women have the highest death rates from breast cancer. |