No one has ever said that having breast cancer or knowing someone diagnosed with this cancer is easy. It is one of the hardest problems to face. For many there is still the fear that they will not beat it. They give up before knowing the real facts. New research into the disease and new diagnostic techniques have given people a fighting chance. If the disease is caught early, then the treatment methods can help to eradicate it from the body. The path is not easy but with the right support, it can be beaten back.

If you want to be proactive in beating breast cancer, then there is a very simple test that you can perform each month on the breast tissue. Every month you need to perform a self breast exam. All you have to do is start at the outside of the breast and in a circular motion around the breast look for any lumps or abnormalities. You will probably find it easier to give yourself a self breast exam while you are in the shower since the skin will be slicker. It is important to do this self examination every month around the same time.

The next step is to get a base line mammogram early. Most doctors advise that women in their forties get a baseline mammogram but if there is a history of cancer in your family you may want to consider mammograms early. Later if you do find a lump, the doctor can compare the baseline against the current reading. This has helped save countless lives when combined with a regular breast exam because it means catching the cancer early. Always keep in mind that a cancer diagnosis is not the end of the world. There are treatment options available and the success rate is very good when compared to the past. Thanks to new procedures and treatment plans, cancer is not an automatic death sentence.

Breast cancer may not be preventable at this point but by having the right cancer information you have the opportunity to stop the disease early and increase your chances of survival. Even if you never have the disease, you can still have the right information to help someone you love who may be facing a cancer diagnosis of the breast. The old phrase "what I don't know won't hurt me" is the wrong way to think of any illness. Knowledge is truly power. If you want to learn more, then visit www.breastcancer.org.