There is still no known way to prevent breast cancer. By the end of 2005, an estimated 212,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, along with 58,000 new cases of noninvasive breast cancer. This year 40,000 women nationwide are expected to die from breast cancer. But advances are being made: If breast cancer is caught early before it spreads, the five-year survival rate is now greater than 95 percent. The key is early detection and treatment.

How can you fight breast cancer? Your best chance is to establish a breast health regimen that focuses on breast awareness, regular screenings to ensure early diagnosis, and lowering your risk for developing breast cancer. Breast awareness means becoming familiar with your breasts and what they look and feel like normally, then reporting any suspicious breast changes to your health care professional immediately.

Here are some important things you can do to keep your breasts healthy:

• If you are in your 20s and 30s, you should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) performed by a health care professional as part of your regular checkup, preferably every three years, according to the latest guidelines from the American Cancer Society.

• If you are age 40 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends a screening mammogram every year. Screening mammograms are done on women who have no symptoms of breast cancer. You should also have a clinical breast exam by a health care professional every year.

  A conventional mammogram (a special, low-dose X-ray) can detect breast cancer up to two years before it can be felt. Researchers are finding that new digital mammograms are 15 to 28 percent more effective in detecting breast tumors in women under 50, those with dense breast tissue and women entering menopause.

  Before you schedule a mammogram, be sure to ask whether the mammogram facility is accredited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That means that it meets high professional standards of safety and quality. Also, free and low-cost breast cancer testing is available. To learn about the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, contact the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 888-842-6355 or www.cdc.gov/cancer. Another resource is the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which provides grants for free mammograms to low-income women through designated programs in inner-city neighborhoods. To learn more, visit www.nationalbreastcancer.org.