ABSTRACT
Diet and lifestyle impact the development of breast, endometrial, and cervical cancers to a large degree and ovarian cancer to a lesser degree. Cancer screening guidelines for mammography vary by organization. This chapter discusses decision whether or not to screen, at what age to begin, and at what interval should be based on patient preference and risk status after risks and benefits of screening. It also discusses risk factors, guidelines for screening, and modifiable lifestyle factors for breast, endometrial, ovarian, and cervical carcinomas. The incidence of metastatic breast cancer and the mean age of diagnosis of 63.7 years have been stable since 1975. Breast cancer is a largely epigenetic cancer, and a breast cancer diagnosis suggests a lifestyle cause. Silencing of tumor suppressor genes such as the breast cancer genes via methylation from environmental exposures allow tumors to grow. Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in women with gynecologic malignancies.
