• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women. Based on 2010 estimates, about one in nine women are expected to be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. Less than one per cent of women in the general population are estimated to be at high risk for breast cancer.
  
  

• Mammograms don’t keep you from getting breast cancer but they can save lives by finding breast cancer as early as possible when it’s most treatable.
  
  

• While women who have a family history of breast cancer are in a higher risk group, most women who have breast cancer have no family history. Breast cancer can affect women who don’t have a family history – in fact, more than 75 per cent of women who get breast cancer have no family history whatsoever.
  
  

• Although their risk is lower than women, men can also get breast cancer. Less than one per cent of all breast cancers in Canada occur in men. Men are encouraged to be breast aware and to talk to their health care provider about any unusual changes in their breasts.
  
  

• You can’t catch breast cancer or transfer it to someone else's body. Cancer is the abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells, destroying normal, healthy tissue.
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• You can lower your risk by leading a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and not smoking.

Remember that when you’re searching the Internet, not everything you read is necessarily true and it doesn’t replace the advice you get from your health care team.