With Breast Cancer Awareness Month having come to a close, health experts are reminding the Cayman community to continue to take active steps towards assessing and lowering their risk of breast cancer rather than waiting until next October.

Although healthcare options are available locally in the Cayman Islands, Ms Sara Carroll, Genetics Counselor at Cleveland Clinic Florida, suggests that men and women seek a second opinion or further treatment options in order to augment the treatment they receive here.

A breast cancer care team, like that at Cleveland Clinic Florida, can help assess an individual’s risk factors and create a personalized plan, designed to prevent or detect cancer at an earlier, more treatable stage.

As cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death in the Cayman Islands, one of the most important advances for treating breast cancer at Cleveland Clinic Florida is their ability to tailor treatment based on the risks and benefits for a specific patient, which could lead to better outcomes and fewer side effects.

Taking the time, with a medical practitioner, to develop your own understanding of how your family history, genetics, race and ethnicity could increase your risk is key in order to help you to evaluate your options in advance. Depending what your hereditary risk factors are, a doctor can determine what testing is appropriate and which genetic changes to assess.

Although there is no surefire way to prevent breast cancer, there are things you can do to decrease the likelihood. Learning your risk factors is the first step in the right direction to reducing your chances, mentions Dr. Elizabeth Stone, Breast Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Florida.

You can lower your modifiable risk factors for breast cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices, such as:

·         Consume alcohol in moderation

·         Eat a healthy diet

·         Maintain a healthy weight

·         Get regular exercise

·         Give birth before age 30

·         Avoid oral contraceptives

·         Quit smoking

While she agrees that identification and management of predetermined risks was imperative, Dr. Stone also said that it is important to discuss and review with doctors others factors which could potentially be managed to help lower a person’s chances of getting breast cancer.

The Breast Center at Cleveland Clinic Florida is fully accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a designation given to centers that are committed to providing the highest quality breast care. Their comprehensive breast cancer team includes breast imaging specialists, breast surgeons, genetics specialists, oncologists and reconstructive surgeons as well as a cancer rehabilitation and therapy team.

Cleveland Clinic Florida’s Maroone Cancer Center includes an on-site lab, satellite and infusion pharmacy, a patient resource center, a wig and healing studio, as well as special facilities for pain management, physical and occupational therapy, and diagnostics. Their Survivorship Care Program also offers much-needed ongoing support.

About Cleveland Clinic Florida

Cleveland Clinic Florida, located in Weston, West Palm Beach, Atlantis, Palm Beach Gardens and Parkland, is a not-for-profit, multi-specialty, academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic Florida has 255 physicians with expertise in 55 specialties. The medical campus is fully integrated and includes diagnostic centers, outpatient surgery and a 24-hour emergency department located in the state-of-the-art hospital. Cleveland Clinic Florida ranked #1 among the best hospitals in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area and fifth in Florida in US News & World Report’s 2016-2017 ranking of Best Hospitals metro area rankings. Cleveland Clinic Florida is an integral part of Cleveland Clinic Ohio, where providing outstanding patient care is based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Physicians at Cleveland Clinic are experts in the treatment of complex conditions that are difficult to diagnose. For more information about Cleveland Clinic Florida, visitwww.clevelandclinicflorida.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.