Julia Louis-Dreyfus has announced, via Twitter, that she has breast cancer. She tweeted out, "1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one."
The 56-year-old actress has advocated for cancer research in the past by teaming up with the Livestrong Foundation, according to Web MD.
Kaedy Kiely from WSB's sister station, 97.1 The River, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2009.
She remembers the day the doctor told her she had stage two cancer. “They say ‘cancer’ and you just can’t quite believe it,” Kiely recalls. “And then the first thing in your mind is, ‘am I going to die?’ And the doctors can’t tell you anything until you go through all the testing.”
Kiely says she would tell Louis-Dreyfus to stay hopeful. “I would tell her to keep her attitude super positive – your attitude is so much of the battle; to keep sharing it, and all the prayers that you can get are what’s going to help you get through it,” she explains.
Her message to other women: “Just make sure that you don’t put off getting tested once a year.
“That’s the most important thing is that if it’s caught early, every day they’re finding new cures for certain kinds of cancer; you just never know. And so just get your stuff done on time.”
Kiely says she had a mammogram that was clear just eight months before she was diagnosed. “They went and looked back at it thinking, ‘oh there’s got to be a little shadow or something’,” she recalls. “And there wasn’t, and that’s why I had to have chemo because it was pretty fast-growing.
“So that’s why I say, the quicker you can get on top of this stuff the better.”
Kiely has been cancer-free for over eight years now.
There are around 3.1 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. The chance of any woman dying from breast cancer is around 1 in 37, or 2.7 percent.
In 2017, more than 252,000 new diagnoses of breast cancer are expected in women. Around 40,610 women are likely to die from the disease.
Breast cancer is sometimes found after symptoms appear, but many women with breast cancer have no symptoms. This is why regular breast cancer screening is so important. It is recommended that women get a mammogram starting at the age of 40.
Risk factors include—
Getting older. The risk for breast cancer increases with age; most breast cancers are diagnosed after age 50.
Genetic mutations. Inherited changes (mutations) to certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Women who have inherited these genetic changes are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Early menstrual period. Women who start their periods before age 12 are exposed to hormones longer, raising the risk for breast cancer by a small amount.
Late or no pregnancy. Having the first pregnancy after age 30 and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk.
Starting menopause after age 55. Like starting one’s period early, being exposed to estrogen hormones for a longer time later in life also raises the risk of breast cancer.
Not being physically active. Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
Being overweight or obese after menopause. Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight.
Having dense breasts. Dense breasts have more connective tissue than fatty tissue, which can sometimes make it hard to see tumors on a mammogram. Women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast cancer.
Using combination hormone therapy. Taking hormones to replace missing estrogen and progesterone in menopause for more than five years raises the risk for breast cancer. The hormones that have been shown to increase risk are estrogen and progestin when taken together.
Taking oral contraceptives (birth control pills). Certain forms of oral contraceptive pills have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
Personal history of breast cancer. Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to get breast cancer a second time.
Family history of breast cancer. A woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if she has a mother, sister, or daughter (first-degree relative) or multiple family members on either her mother’s or father’s side of the family who have had breast cancer. Having a first-degree male relative with breast cancer also raises a woman’s risk.
Drinking alcohol. Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.