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October has been established as Breast Cancer Prevention and Awareness Month, with the aim of enlightening women, as breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the female population.

However, if diagnosed quickly, before it spreads to other organs, the survival rate exceeds 95%. It is estimated that every year Greece has an average of 4,500 women diagnosed with breast cancer, but unfortunately, it is usually diagnosed when it is quite advanced.

The increasing incidence of breast cancer in western societies is related to lifestyle changes in recent decades, such as obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, alcohol abuse, smoking, stress, etc., while hereditary factor plays an important role as well.

Prevention is very important as breast cancer can be cured significantly if diagnosed early. Screening includes self-examination, clinical examination and imaging examinations.

Lifestyle-related prevention strategies include: 

• Maintaining a healthy weight, especially after menopause.
• Avoiding long-term hormone therapy, which increases the risk of breast cancer.
• Staying physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.
• Eating foods high in fiber, such as fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
• Using olive oil because oleic acid appears to suppress the action of the most important breast oncogene.
• Limiting alcohol consumption.