Share on Pinterest Illustration by Shannon Orcutt

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. In the United States, 220,000 women and 2,150 men are diagnosed with the disease each year. The good news? As with any cancer, early detection saves lives. With education about how to identify potential symptoms, men and women can learn preventative behaviors and early detection skills.

So what puts you in the line of fire? Some breast cancer risk factors are inherited or result from uncontrollable factors like age or race. Many other risk factors are tied to lifestyle. People with several preexisting risk factors (see below) should exercise, stick to a healthy diet, and not smoke to reduce the chance of developing the disease. Here are some of those preexisting factors:

Why Should I Care About Breast Cancer Now?

Young ladies, listen up: Although only about seven percent of breast cancer cases occur in women under the age of 40, it’s best to gain awareness of the disease early. The chance of a 20-something woman getting breast cancer is 1 in 2,000. That risk increases for 30-something women to 1 in 250. But because young women are less likely to do regular self-exams, go for mammograms, and head to the doctor if they detect a lump, breast cancer in young women is often detected in much later, more aggressive stages Epidemiology of breast cancer in young women. Yankaskas BC. Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. Breast Dis. 2005-2006;23:3-8. . Young people and even teenagers with a family history of breast cancer, early exposure to radiation to the chest, or the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutation should begin preventative strategies early. (But even young women without preexisting risk factors should get in the habit of doing a monthly check, just to be safe.)

Pink ribbons and all, breast cancer is usually considered a women’s disease. But it can affect men, and not only dudes with “moobies.” Less than one percent of all cases occur in men, but male breast cancer has a higher fatality rate because it is so uncommon and more likely pass under the radar Epidemiology of male breast cancer. Department of Epidemiology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY. Cancer Epidemiololgy, Biomarkers, and Prevention. 2005 Jan; 14(1):20-6. . So how can men get breast cancer if they don’t have breasts? Although guys don’t usually frequent Victoria’s Secret, they do have breast tissue that can be susceptible to breast cancer. Like with young women, the most common risk factors for guys are exposure to chest radiation, high levels of estrogen, and genetics. Men with hereditary predisposition to breast cancer (aka those darned BRCA mutations or other wonky genes) are also more likely to develop prostate cancer at an earlier age.

The First Line of Defense — How to Do a Self-Exam

Time to get up close and personal with your chest (boys, you too.) Performing a monthly self-exam can save lives: According to Johns Hopkins Medical Center, 40 percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected after women who feel a lump take their concern to a doctor. All women over the age of 20 should take time to do a thorough check each month. Copping a feel every once in a while also teaches each woman what’s normal for her breasts, which is useful knowledge to have when paying a visit to the doctor. Because things tend to change shape and sizethroughout the stages of the menstrual cycle, it’s a good idea to check things out around the same time of the month.

Share on Pinterest Illustration by Shannon Orcutt

All adult women should take time once a month to perform a thorough self-examination. Here are five easy steps to follow for a comprehensive self exam.

1. Stand in front of a mirror with shoulders straight and hands on hips. Check that breasts and nipples are their usual size, shape, and color. There should be no swelling, redness, or puckering/distortion.

2. Raise arms overhead and repeat the visual examination, looking for any changes in normal breast appearance.

3. While still at the mirror, look for any fluid or signs of fluid coming out of the nipples.

4. Lie down and check each breast with the opposite hand. Place the non-examining hand behind the head.

Using the pads of your three middle fingers, move your hand in small circular motions around the breast. Continue the process over the entire area — from clavicles to rib cage and from armpit to cleavage. Use different amounts of pressure, starting the each area with light touch and progressing to deep pressure before moving on to the next spot.

5. Try the lie-down check while in the tub or standing in the shower. Water reduces friction and makes it easier to feel small irregularities.

Not a fan of the circular pattern? You can also work in a vertical or “wedge” pattern when preforming your self check. For the vertical method, check the entire breast area in finger-width vertical strips moving from top to bottom, and bottom to top. For the wedge method, divide the breast into pie-slice shaped sections and checkone wedge at a time.

Uh Oh — How to Know When Is Something Is Wrong

If there are any changes in how the breast or nipple looks or feels, head straight to the MD. Some tenderness around that time of the month is normal, but anything persistent or unusual could be cause for concern. Keep an eye out for nipple pain or tenderness, nipple retraction (when they suddenly turn inward instead of outward), redness or scaliness, unexpected swelling or shrinkage of the nipple or breast, discharge when not breastfeeding, swelling, prolonged pain, skin dimpling or puckering, or a change in skin texture (especially enlargement of the pores). Some early signs of breast cancer are visual, so definitely check yo’self every so often.

Feeling a lump doesn’t always mean cancer, either.Cysts — small, often benign fluid-filled sacs that can develop in some breast tissue, sometimes due to hormonal changes over the course of a month — can feel like lumps during a self-exam, but they’re harmless. The only way to tell the difference between a cyst and a tumor is to get an ultrasound at the doctor’s office, so if you feel something’s wrong, head to the doctor anyways. Having a cyst (or even a lot of cysts) is likely not breast cancer. In fact, sometimes they’re the norm. Women who get cysts regularly should regularly perform self-exams to learn what is “normal” for their breasts. Chat with a doc about the best way to stay vigilant about lumps and bumps if you’re prone to developing cysts.

In general, don’t freak out if things get tender in the chest department — breast pain is not usually a symptom of breast cancer. Most of the time, tenderness is due to the hormonal rollercoasters of puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and also certain medications. Pain can be a sign of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, so if pain exists in one small spot and doesn’t go away, head to the doctor to get things checked out.

Looking for more info? Check out the Mayo Clinic’s breast health page, visit the Breast Health Institute, or take a peek at Susan G Komen for the Cure.

Want to help do some good? Check out our list of awesome companies/organizations making a difference in breast health awareness.

This article has been read by Greatist Experts Marilee Benson and Joshua Dines.

Contribute to the conversation and tell your story in the comments below or tweet the author at @SophBreene.