Understanding your personal breast cancer risk is one of the most important steps you can take for your long-term health. At PromiseCare Medical Group, our physicians across Riverside County are committed to helping women identify their risk factors and develop personalized prevention strategies through comprehensive primary care and preventive medicine that can make a real difference.
Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the United States, with approximately 1 in 8 women developing the disease during their lifetime. However, when detected early through regular mammography screening, the five-year survival rate exceeds 99% for localized breast cancer. This makes understanding your risk factors and following appropriate screening guidelines essential components of preventive healthcare and family medicine practice.
Dr. Michael Curley, a board-certified Family Medicine physician with over 37 years of experience and a specialization in Women’s Health, has long emphasized the importance of risk awareness among his patients in Hemet, Murrieta, and Temecula. “Every woman’s risk profile is unique,” Dr. Curley explains. “By understanding the factors that increase risk, we can create individualized screening plans and prevention strategies that provide the best protection.”
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors: Understanding What You Cannot Change
Age: The Primary Risk Factor
Age stands as the single most significant risk factor for breast cancer. While breast cancer can occur at any age, the risk increases substantially as women get older. Approximately two out of three invasive breast cancers are diagnosed in women aged 55 or older, with incidence rates peaking among women aged 70 to 74 years.
The physicians at PromiseCare Medical Group serving Riverside County understand that age-related risk requires proactive screening strategies through comprehensive women’s health services. Dr. Bridget Briggs, a Family Practice physician with extensive experience in women’s health, regularly counsels her patients about the importance of age-appropriate mammography screening. “We don’t want women to fear aging,” Dr. Briggs notes. “We want them to embrace regular screening as a normal part of healthcare maintenance, just like annual wellness visits.”
Genetic Factors and Family History
Hereditary breast cancer accounts for approximately 5-10% of all breast cancer cases, with BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations being the most well-known genetic risk factors. Women who inherit harmful mutations in these genes have up to a 72% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, compared to the general population’s 13% risk.
Beyond BRCA mutations, other genetic changes in genes such as PALB2, CHEK2, ATM, and PTEN can significantly elevate breast cancer risk. Family history also plays a crucial role—women with a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) diagnosed with breast cancer have approximately 1.75 times higher risk than women without affected relatives. This risk increases to 2.5-fold or higher when two or more first-degree relatives have been diagnosed.
The primary care physicians throughout PromiseCare’s network work closely with oncology specialists to provide genetic counseling referrals for women with strong family histories. Dr. Anita Jackson, who practices Family Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, and Women’s Health in Lake Elsinore, emphasizes the value of thorough family history assessments in preventive medicine. “Understanding your family’s cancer history across both maternal and paternal lines helps us determine who might benefit from genetic testing and enhanced screening protocols,” she explains.
Dense Breast Tissue
Approximately 40-50% of women have dense breast tissue, which refers to breasts with more glandular and fibrous tissue and less fatty tissue. Dense breasts present a dual challenge: they increase breast cancer risk by 1.5 to 2 times compared to average breast density, and they can make mammography less effective at detecting tumors through standard screening methods.
Women typically learn they have dense breasts after receiving a mammogram report. Many states, including California, now require mammography facilities to notify women about their breast density status. The PromiseCare network includes access to advanced imaging technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tomosynthesis (3D mammography), that can provide better visualization for women with dense breast tissue.
Reproductive History and Hormonal Exposure
A woman’s reproductive history significantly influences her breast cancer risk through cumulative exposure to estrogen and progesterone. Several factors contribute to this hormonal exposure pattern:
Menstrual History: Women who began menstruating before age 12 or entered menopause after age 55 face increased risk due to prolonged hormone exposure throughout their reproductive years.
Pregnancy Timing: Having a first full-term pregnancy after age 30, or never having carried a pregnancy to term, increases breast cancer risk. Conversely, having multiple pregnancies and becoming pregnant at a younger age appears to reduce risk.
Breastfeeding: Women who breastfeed, particularly for extended periods, have a modestly reduced risk of breast cancer compared to those who do not.
Dr. John Schoonmaker, a Family Practice physician serving Menifee with expertise in Geriatric Medicine and Women’s Health, regularly discusses these reproductive factors with patients during their annual wellness visits. “These reproductive factors aren’t choices women make thinking about breast cancer risk,” Dr. Schoonmaker notes. “However, understanding how they influence risk helps us tailor screening recommendations appropriately through personalized preventive care.”
Race and Ethnicity
Breast cancer incidence and outcomes vary significantly across racial and ethnic groups. In the United States, white women have the highest overall incidence of breast cancer, while Black women have the highest mortality rate and are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Black women also tend to be diagnosed at younger ages and with more advanced disease stages.
Ashkenazi Jewish women have notably higher rates of BRCA gene mutations than the general population, increasing their hereditary breast cancer risk. Hispanic and Asian women generally have lower breast cancer incidence rates, though these rates have been gradually increasing.
The diverse population served by PromiseCare Medical Group across Riverside County means physicians must consider these disparities when developing screening and prevention strategies through culturally competent primary care. Recent screening guideline updates from the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which now recommend routine mammography beginning at age 40 for all women, were influenced in part by the need to address earlier breast cancer onset in Black women.
Personal History of Breast Cancer or Certain Breast Conditions
Women previously diagnosed with breast cancer face a three to four times higher risk of developing a new cancer in the opposite breast or a different area of the same breast. Certain non-cancerous breast conditions also elevate risk:
- Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH)
- Atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH)
- Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)
- Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
Women with these conditions require enhanced surveillance through oncology coordination and often benefit from discussions about risk-reduction strategies with their healthcare team.
Previous Chest Radiation
Women who received radiation therapy to the chest area before age 30—often as treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma or other cancers—face significantly elevated breast cancer risk. The younger the age at which radiation was received, the higher the subsequent breast cancer risk becomes.
Modifiable Risk Factors: Taking Control of Your Breast Health
While many breast cancer risk factors cannot be changed, several modifiable factors provide opportunities for risk reduction through lifestyle choices and informed decision-making within a comprehensive preventive medicine framework.
Physical Activity and Exercise
Regular physical activity represents one of the most protective lifestyle factors against breast cancer. Research demonstrates a clear link between exercising regularly at moderate to vigorous intensity for four to seven hours per week and reduced breast cancer risk, particularly for postmenopausal women.
The protective effects of exercise likely stem from multiple mechanisms: maintaining healthy body weight, reducing inflammation, regulating hormone levels including estrogen and progesterone, and supporting immune function. Even modest amounts of physical activity—as little as two hours per week—may provide some protection, though more activity appears more beneficial.
PromiseCare Medical Group’s Nutrition for Life Program incorporates exercise counseling as a core component of preventive care. The program helps Riverside County patients develop sustainable physical activity habits that fit their lifestyle and abilities through integrated family medicine approaches. Whether through walking programs, community exercise classes, or home-based routines, the goal remains consistent: regular movement that women can maintain long-term.
Body Weight Management
The relationship between body weight and breast cancer risk is complex and changes across a woman’s lifespan. After menopause, having excess body weight significantly increases breast cancer risk, primarily because fat tissue becomes the body’s main source of estrogen production after the ovaries stop producing hormones. Higher body weight also correlates with elevated insulin levels, which have been linked to increased breast cancer risk.
Interestingly, before menopause, the relationship differs—being overweight may actually be associated with lower risk, though the reasons for this aren’t entirely clear. However, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life remains recommended through preventive medicine interventions, as excess weight after menopause is strongly linked to hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
The Weight to Go Program offered through PromiseCare Medical Group provides structured support for patients working toward healthy weight management. The program combines nutritional guidance, behavioral strategies, and medical monitoring to help women achieve and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 through comprehensive primary care.
Alcohol Consumption
The relationship between alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk is clear and concerning: even moderate drinking increases breast cancer risk. Research shows that risk escalates with the amount consumed—women who have two to three alcoholic drinks per day face approximately 20% higher breast cancer risk compared to non-drinkers. Even one drink per day for women elevates risk, particularly for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.
The mechanism involves alcohol’s effects on estrogen metabolism and potential DNA damage. For women concerned about breast cancer risk, limiting alcohol consumption or avoiding it altogether represents an actionable risk-reduction strategy within comprehensive women’s health care.
Smoking and Tobacco Use
While smoking is definitively linked to numerous cancers, its specific relationship to breast cancer risk is still being researched. However, the U.S. Surgeon General’s office indicates that evidence of a connection between smoking and breast cancer is “suggestive,” with some studies showing increased risk particularly among younger, premenopausal women who smoke or who are exposed to significant secondhand smoke.
Regardless of breast cancer risk specifically, smoking cessation provides profound overall health benefits. The primary care physicians throughout PromiseCare’s network offer smoking cessation support and resources to patients ready to quit through evidence-based preventive medicine approaches.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Hormone replacement therapy used to manage menopausal symptoms can influence breast cancer risk, particularly combination therapy containing both estrogen and progesterone. Women taking combined HRT for more than five years face increased breast cancer risk, though this risk appears to decline after stopping the hormones.
Dr. Gordon Skeoch, a Family Practice physician serving patients across Riverside County, regularly counsels women about the benefits and risks of HRT through comprehensive women’s health consultations. “Menopausal symptoms can significantly impact quality of life, but we need to weigh the benefits of hormone therapy against potential risks, including breast cancer,” Dr. Skeoch explains. “For many women, the shortest duration at the lowest effective dose provides symptom relief while minimizing risk.”
Hormonal Birth Control
Current research indicates that some forms of hormonal contraception may slightly increase breast cancer risk while they’re being used and for a short period afterward. This includes oral contraceptives (birth control pills), injections like Depo-Provera, and hormone-releasing intrauterine devices (IUDs). However, this increased risk appears to return to baseline approximately 10 years after discontinuation.
For most women, particularly younger women, the breast cancer risk from hormonal contraception is quite small and must be weighed against the significant benefits of reliable birth control through comprehensive family medicine counseling, including protection against unintended pregnancy and reduced risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Environmental Exposures
Emerging research continues to explore potential environmental risk factors for breast cancer. Some areas of concern include:
Air Pollution: Studies suggest that women living and working in areas with high levels of fine-particle air pollution (such as dust, dirt, and smoke) may have moderately increased breast cancer risk.
Night Shift Work: Working night shifts over extended periods has been associated with slightly elevated breast cancer risk, possibly due to disruption of circadian rhythms and reduced melatonin production, which may influence estrogen levels.
Chemical Exposures: Research continues into potential links between breast cancer and exposure to certain chemicals, though definitive conclusions remain elusive for most compounds.
Screening Guidelines and Early Detection
Early detection through regular screening mammography remains the most powerful tool for reducing breast cancer mortality. When breast cancer is detected early, it is nearly 100% curable, often with less aggressive treatment options.
Current Screening Recommendations
Screening guidelines have evolved based on new research and better understanding of breast cancer patterns. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) updated its recommendations in 2024 to advise that all women at average risk begin biennial (every two years) screening mammography at age 40 and continue through age 74.
This represents a significant change from previous guidance, which suggested individualized decision-making for women in their 40s. The update reflects growing evidence that earlier screening saves lives, particularly for Black women who tend to develop breast cancer earlier.
Other organizations, including the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging, recommend annual screening starting at age 40. The variation in recommendations reflects different interpretations of the same research data, weighing the benefits of finding more cancers earlier against potential harms like false positives and overtreatment.
Screening for High-Risk Women
Women at higher-than-average breast cancer risk require enhanced screening protocols through coordinated oncology care. This includes women with:
- Known BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations
- Strong family history of breast cancer
- Previous chest radiation before age 30
- Personal history of breast cancer or high-risk breast lesions (atypical hyperplasia, LCIS)
- Certain genetic syndromes (Li-Fraumeni, Cowden syndrome, etc.)
For these high-risk women, screening typically begins earlier (often age 25-30) and includes both annual mammography and breast MRI. The combination of these imaging modalities provides more comprehensive cancer detection than either test alone.
The PromiseCare network includes referral relationships with specialized breast imaging centers throughout Riverside County that offer both tomosynthesis (3D mammography) and breast MRI for women requiring enhanced screening through coordinated women’s health services.
Self-Awareness and Clinical Breast Exams
While routine breast self-examination has not been proven to reduce breast cancer mortality, breast self-awareness remains valuable within comprehensive preventive medicine. Women should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel so they can recognize changes and report them promptly to their physician.
Changes that warrant medical evaluation include:
- New lumps or thickening in the breast or underarm area
- Changes in breast size or shape
- Skin changes including dimpling, puckering, or redness
- Nipple changes including inversion, discharge, or crusting
- Persistent breast pain or tenderness
Dr. David Stanford, an Internal Medicine specialist with PromiseCare, emphasizes that most breast changes are not cancer. “We never want fear to prevent women from mentioning breast changes they’ve noticed,” Dr. Stanford notes. “Most findings are benign, but the only way to know for certain is through proper evaluation using appropriate diagnostic imaging and clinical assessment.”
PromiseCare’s Comprehensive Approach to Breast Health
Preventive Care Programs
PromiseCare Medical Group has developed several programs that support women’s breast health as part of comprehensive preventive medicine:
Annual Wellness Visits: During these comprehensive examinations, physicians assess breast cancer risk factors, review family history, discuss mammography screening recommendations, and provide counseling about modifiable risk factors through integrated primary care. For Medicare Advantage patients, these visits are covered at no cost.
Nutrition for Life Program: This program helps women adopt dietary patterns that may reduce cancer risk while supporting overall health. The Mediterranean diet and other plant-based eating patterns rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats have shown promise in cancer prevention research.
Diabetes/Pre-Diabetes Self Management Program: Since obesity and insulin resistance relate to breast cancer risk, managing these conditions through lifestyle modification and medical treatment when necessary provides both immediate and long-term benefits through comprehensive internal medicine.
Heart Health Program: Many lifestyle factors that reduce cardiovascular disease risk—regular exercise, healthy weight, smoking cessation, moderate alcohol use—also help reduce breast cancer risk through integrated preventive care approaches.
Coordinated Care Approach
When PromiseCare patients require specialized breast care—whether for screening, diagnostic imaging, biopsy, or treatment—the primary care team coordinates referrals to trusted oncology specialists throughout Riverside County. This integrated approach ensures continuity of care and reduces the stress and confusion that can accompany navigating the healthcare system.
The physicians at PromiseCare serve as patient advocates, helping women understand their screening results, navigate follow-up recommendations, and make informed decisions about risk management strategies when appropriate through comprehensive family medicine coordination.
Accessible Locations Throughout Riverside County
With physician offices throughout Hemet, Temecula, Murrieta, Menifee, Lake Elsinore, San Jacinto, and across Riverside County, PromiseCare makes it convenient for women to maintain regular preventive care relationships with their primary care provider. This accessibility removes barriers to consistent healthcare and supports the long-term relationships that enable personalized risk assessment and screening through comprehensive women’s health services.
Risk Reduction Strategies: Beyond Screening
While screening is critical for early detection, risk reduction strategies aim to lower the probability of developing breast cancer in the first place through comprehensive preventive medicine. For women at average risk, lifestyle modifications provide the foundation of prevention:
Maintain a Healthy Weight: Keep BMI in the healthy range (18.5-24.9) throughout adulthood, particularly after menopause.
Exercise Regularly: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity weekly, preferably with even more activity if possible.
Limit Alcohol: Restrict alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day for women, or consider avoiding alcohol altogether.
Don’t Smoke: Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke exposure.
Consider Breastfeeding: If possible, breastfeed babies for as long as you comfortably can.
Be Cautious with Hormone Therapy: If menopausal hormone therapy is needed, use the lowest dose for the shortest time necessary to manage symptoms.
Chemoprevention for High-Risk Women
For women at substantially elevated risk, medications that reduce breast cancer risk may be appropriate through oncology consultation. Selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) like tamoxifen and raloxifene, and aromatase inhibitors like exemestane and anastrozole, have been shown to reduce breast cancer risk in high-risk women through chemoprevention protocols.
These medications are not appropriate for everyone and carry their own side effects and risks. The decision to use chemoprevention requires careful discussion between patient and physician through coordinated oncology care, weighing individual risk levels against medication risks and benefits.
Prophylactic Surgery Options
Women with BRCA mutations or extremely high breast cancer risk based on family history may consider prophylactic (preventive) mastectomy. This dramatic step can reduce breast cancer risk by more than 90%, though it cannot eliminate risk entirely and represents a significant surgical procedure with permanent consequences.
Prophylactic oophorectomy (removal of ovaries) may also reduce breast cancer risk in women with BRCA mutations while simultaneously reducing ovarian cancer risk. These decisions require comprehensive counseling with breast cancer specialists, oncology teams, and genetic counselors.
Special Considerations for Diverse Populations
Addressing Health Disparities
The physicians at PromiseCare Medical Group serve the diverse population of Riverside County through culturally competent family medicine and women’s health services, which includes significant Latino, Black, Asian, and white populations. Understanding that breast cancer risk, presentation, and outcomes vary across racial and ethnic groups allows for more effective preventive care.
Black women in particular benefit from awareness that they face higher mortality from breast cancer despite lower overall incidence. Contributing factors include earlier age of diagnosis, more aggressive tumor biology (particularly triple-negative breast cancer), and barriers to healthcare access. The updated screening guidelines recommending mammography beginning at age 40 for all women specifically acknowledge the need to address these disparities through comprehensive preventive medicine.
Language Access and Health Literacy
PromiseCare physicians recognize that effective breast cancer risk communication requires overcoming language barriers and ensuring patients truly understand their personal risk factors and screening recommendations through comprehensive primary care. The practice provides language access services and takes time to explain medical concepts in understandable terms.
Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Cancer Risk
How accurate are breast cancer risk calculators?
Several online risk assessment tools can estimate an individual woman’s breast cancer risk, including the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT or Gail Model). These calculators consider factors like age, family history, reproductive history, and breast biopsy history to provide estimates. However, they have limitations—they cannot account for every risk factor or genetic mutation, and estimates represent probabilities, not certainties. Your PromiseCare physician can help interpret risk assessment results through comprehensive family medicine consultation and determine whether genetic counseling or enhanced screening might be beneficial.
Should I get genetic testing for BRCA mutations?
Genetic testing for BRCA and other hereditary cancer genes is appropriate when personal or family history suggests elevated risk. Indicators that genetic counseling and potential testing might be valuable include: breast cancer diagnosed before age 50, ovarian cancer at any age, breast cancer in a male relative, multiple relatives with breast or ovarian cancer, known BRCA mutation in the family, or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry with breast cancer in the family. Your primary care physician can refer you for genetic counseling if your history suggests testing might be informative.
Are there foods that prevent breast cancer?
While no single food prevents breast cancer, overall dietary patterns influence risk through preventive medicine approaches. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats (like the Mediterranean diet) are associated with reduced cancer risk, likely through multiple mechanisms including maintaining healthy weight, reducing inflammation, and providing protective nutrients and phytochemicals. Conversely, diets high in processed meats, refined grains, and sugar may increase risk. The Nutrition for Life Program at PromiseCare helps women adopt eating patterns that support breast health and overall wellness through comprehensive nutritional counseling.
How does birth weight relate to breast cancer risk?
Some research suggests that women who had high birth weight (above 4 kilograms or about 8.8 pounds) may have slightly increased breast cancer risk. This may relate to prenatal hormone exposures or growth factors that influence both birth weight and later cancer risk. However, this is a non-modifiable factor that should not cause undue concern—focus instead on controllable risk factors through comprehensive women’s health care.
Does wearing underwire bras increase breast cancer risk?
No. Despite persistent myths, research has found no credible link between wearing bras (underwire or otherwise) and breast cancer risk. Similarly, antiperspirants and deodorants have not been shown to increase breast cancer risk. These misconceptions distract from focusing on evidence-based risk factors that women can actually address through preventive medicine.
Can breast implants cause breast cancer?
Breast implants do not appear to increase breast cancer risk. However, they can complicate mammography screening by obscuring some breast tissue. Women with implants should ensure their mammography facility knows about the implants beforehand so specialized views can be obtained. A rare type of lymphoma called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) has been associated with textured breast implants, but this is distinct from breast cancer.
What should I do if I have dense breasts?
If mammography reports indicate you have dense breasts, discuss supplemental screening options with your physician through comprehensive women’s health consultation. While the evidence is still developing, some women with dense breasts may benefit from additional screening with ultrasound or breast MRI. Breast density alone places you at moderately elevated risk, so maintaining controllable risk factors at healthy levels becomes even more important. Your PromiseCare physician can help determine whether supplemental screening is appropriate for you based on your overall risk profile through coordinated primary care.
Taking Action: Your Next Steps
Understanding breast cancer risk factors empowers women to take concrete steps toward protecting their health through comprehensive preventive medicine. Whether your risk is average or elevated, regular screening and healthy lifestyle choices form the foundation of breast cancer prevention and early detection.
Schedule Your Mammogram
If you’re age 40 or older and haven’t had a recent mammogram, schedule one now. Don’t wait for symptoms—screening is designed to find cancer before it causes problems. Many insurance plans, including Medicare Advantage, cover screening mammograms with no out-of-pocket cost.
Discuss Your Risk with Your Doctor
Use your next annual wellness visit to review your personal breast cancer risk factors with your PromiseCare physician through comprehensive family medicine consultation. Bring information about your family history, including any relatives with breast or ovarian cancer and the ages at which they were diagnosed. This conversation helps establish whether you need standard or enhanced screening protocols through coordinated women’s health services.
Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Start making changes today to reduce modifiable risk factors through preventive medicine approaches. Small, sustainable changes in physical activity, nutrition, alcohol consumption, and weight management add up to meaningful risk reduction over time. The various wellness programs offered through PromiseCare provide structured support for making these changes successfully through comprehensive primary care.
Stay Informed and Engaged
Breast cancer research continues to evolve, with new discoveries about risk factors, prevention strategies, and screening approaches emerging regularly through oncology research. Stay engaged with your healthcare team and ask questions when you have concerns or when you learn about new information that might apply to your situation.
Conclusion
Breast cancer remains a serious health concern for women throughout Riverside County and across the nation, but understanding risk factors and engaging in appropriate screening dramatically improves outcomes through comprehensive preventive medicine. While many risk factors cannot be changed—age, genetic heritage, family history, reproductive history—numerous modifiable factors provide opportunities for risk reduction through informed lifestyle choices within coordinated primary care.
The physicians at PromiseCare Medical Group, including Dr. Michael Curley, Dr. Bridget Briggs, Dr. Anita Jackson, Dr. John Schoonmaker, Dr. Gordon Skeoch, Dr. David Stanford, and their colleagues throughout Riverside County, stand ready to partner with women in assessing their personal risk, establishing appropriate screening plans through coordinated women’s health services, and supporting healthy lifestyle changes that reduce risk through comprehensive family medicine.
Early detection through regular mammography, combined with awareness of personal risk factors and commitment to healthy lifestyle choices, gives every woman her best chance of preventing breast cancer or catching it at its most treatable stage through comprehensive preventive medicine. Your health is worth the investment of regular checkups, appropriate screening, and thoughtful attention to factors within your control.
To schedule an annual wellness visit or discuss your breast cancer risk with a PromiseCare physician, call 951-390-2840 or visit promisecare.com. Your primary care physician serves as your partner in health, your advocate in the healthcare system, and your guide to personalized preventive care strategies that support long-term wellness through comprehensive family medicine and women’s health services.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Individual breast cancer risk varies based on multiple factors, and screening recommendations should be personalized through discussion with your healthcare provider. The information presented reflects current understanding as of early 2025, but medical recommendations evolve as research advances. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding breast cancer risk, screening, or prevention. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in this article. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. PromiseCare Medical Group physicians are here to provide personalized guidance based on your individual health profile and risk factors through comprehensive preventive medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, and women’s health services.