We asked Helen Krontiras, M.D., breast cancer surgeon at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, for the scoop on screening.

BY JACQUELYNE FROEBER

Q: Who should be screened?
A: Women age 40 and older should get a mammogram (a safe, low dose X-ray) every year, and all women (20s and up) should have their doctor, internist or OB-GYN examine their breasts yearly. Patients who have a higher risk (more than 20 percent) for breast cancer should undergo annual MRI screenings. We also encourage monthly self breast examinations (learn how at cancer.gov) so you can report any changes, lumps or abnormalities to your doctor. No matter how small you think the symptom is, let your doctor decide if it’s serious.

Q: Besides a lump, what other symptoms may signal breast cancer?
A: A change in the skin: Is there rippling or retraction of the skin? Look at your nipple—is it inverted? Or is there a change with the skin of the nipple or the areola? All these symptoms should be examined.

Q: What if I find a lump?
A: First, take a deep breath. Keep in mind that most of the things that women feel in their breasts are benign. They can be due to fibrocystic disease, cysts of the breast, and other changes that are not harmful. Again, report the lump and any changes to your doctor.

Q: Should everyone be tested for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer genes?
A: No. Only 10 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed has a genetic predisposition. In that 10 percent, the family history patterns we look for include breast cancer at a young age, breast and ovarian cancer, men with breast cancer, and/or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

Q: Can diet reduce the risk of breast cancer?
A: It may help. Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, so maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce risk. Try looking at everything in moderation, and focus your diet around fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meat and fish. Stay away from a lot of red meat. All these things help reduce disease in general.

Q: What about exercising to prevent breast cancer?
A: Physical activity has a small effect on prevention, but all small acts add up. We encourage women to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, four or five days a week.

Q: We’ve read that happy hour is linked to cancer. Will libations increase a woman’s risk?
A: There is an association between alcohol consumption and breast cancer. What is hazy is how much is okay—and I think that everything in moderation is important.

Q: What do you know about breast cancer that we might not?
A: The longer you live, the higher the chances that your cells will mutate from normal to abnormal by being exposed to something from the environment, or just by living. Even if you think you’re not a candidate for breast cancer (you don’t smoke, drink or carry extra weight), you are.

Erik Busby, M.D., urologist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center puts prostate cancer screening into perspective.

BY JACQUELYNE FROEBER

Q: Who should be screened?
A: All men ages 50 and older. Those at high risk, including African American men and those who have a brother, father or uncle with prostate cancer, should start screening at age 40.

Q: Screening involves a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam (DRE). What do you say to men who haven’t had an exam or who put it off due to the rectal part?
A: Guys, it only takes a few seconds to do the exam, and really it’s not as uncomfortable as people think. It’s just something you have to do. I joke with my patients that it’s payback because women have to get these types of exams much younger. Most of us get to wait until we’re 50.

Q: Prostate cancer has no symptoms in the early stages when it’s most treatable. Is there anything men can look for?
A: The PSA blood test and the DRE are the best way to spot anything abnormal. In rare cases, bone and back pain may signal that the cancer has spread.

Q: Can diet help prevent prostate cancer?
A: There seems to be a link between obesity and an increase in prostate cancer. It’s important for men to follow a low-fat diet (think more fruits and veggies and less high-fat dairy and red meat) and maintain a healthy weight.

Q: So exercise will help? 
A: It’s safe to say that exercising will curb obesity, which will reduce the risk for having problems with prostate cancer.

Q: What may surprise people to learn about prostate cancer?
A: Drugs like Avodart and Proscar (prescribed for the treatment of enlarged prostates) have been shown to reduce the risk for prostate cancer. Lycopenes (an antioxidant found in tomatoes) have been shown to have some benefits—although more research needs to be done on that.

Q: What about recent news that claims prostate screening does not help save lives?
A: Despite media reports, we value screening. Prostate cancer is a fairly common disease, and a lot of people will die from it. Finding it early is key, and screening helps us do that. Sometimes men need a good push. For all the ladies, wives, partners and friends: Get emphatic about educating your men on the value of prostate cancer screening at the appropriate age.