Woman's Day: 15 things you don't know about breast cancer — but should

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but whatever time of year ask any woman what disease she's most afraid of, and chances are she'll say breast cancer. While you can't control your genes, there are powerful steps you can take to protect yourself and lower your risk.

Lifesaving screenings

1. Clinical breast exams are as important as mammograms.

Mammograms starting at age 40 are crucial (get them earlier if you have a family history of the disease), but they're an imperfect screening tool, especially in women who have dense breasts. That's why an annual clinical breast exam from a doctor is a must. "This is especially important for detecting inflammatory breast cancer — a rare but aggressive type that can make the breast swollen and red — which often doesn't show up on mammograms," explains Katherine B. Lee, M.D., a breast specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Breast Center. On the other hand, ductal carcinoma in situ, the earliest form of breast cancer, which is limited to the milk ducts, is most often found on mammograms. So both screenings are equally important.

2. Don't panic if you get called for a mammogram "redo" or have calcifications. Many women older than 40 have calcium deposits (calcifications) in their breasts, and most of them are benign. "It's part of the aging process of the tissue," explains Dr. Lee. These can show up as white spots on a mammogram — they tend to be harmless if they're large, coarse, solitary spots but suspicious if the tiny flecks cluster together in a linear pattern. Most radiologists can distinguish between the two, and only the suspicious ones warrant a biopsy.

How diet and exercise lower your risk

3. Active women are less likely to develop and die from breast cancer. Regular exercise has consistently been associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. "Any type of exercise is likely to help by lowering estrogen levels," Dr. Seewaldt explains.

4. Get your folate. While experts say that an overall healthy diet may help prevent breast cancer, a growing body of research suggests that getting enough of the B vitamin folate (in leafy green vegetables, beans and fortified cereals) may help mitigate the increased risk associated with drinking alcohol. (Having two or more drinks a day ups breast cancer risk by about 25 percent.) Go easy on the alcohol, but "if you have one drink daily, getting plenty of folate from your diet or a multivitamin may help," says Claudine Isaacs, M.D., director of the clinical breast cancer program at Georgetown University Medical Center.