Radiation to Chest or Face Before Age 30 on how to protect your breast

Radiation to Chest or Face Before Age 30

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If you had radiation to the chest to treat another cancer (not breast cancer), such as Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you have a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer. If you had radiation to the face as an adolescent to treat acne (something that's no longer done), you are at higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life. The amount of risk increase depends on how old you were when you had radiation. The increase in risk is highest if you had radiation during adolescence, when your breasts were developing.

Steps you can take

If you had radiation when you were younger to successfully treat another cancer or to treat acne, you know how important it is to make lifestyle choices that can keep your breast cancer risk as low as it can be:

• maintaining a healthy weight
• exercising regularly
• limiting alcohol
• eating nutritious food
• never smoking (or quitting if you do smoke)

These are just a few of the steps you can take. Review the links on the left side of this page for more options.