The best way to fight breast cancer is to catch it early. For women with a family history or genetic mutation that increases their risk, that can even mean stopping it before it starts.

The Keck School of Medicine of USC has several trials underway to test the effectiveness of new drugs in preventing breast cancer without side effects, says Cathie T. Chung, M.D., an oncologist in Keck and the USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In the past, side effects have made taking the drugs a tough decision. For example, Tamoxifen did help prevent breast cancer, but it was also found to increase a woman's risk of uterine cancer, Chung says.

She and other researchers are also looking beyond drugs for ways to attack cancer tumors. “The strategies now are to combine chemotherapy with new biological agents that target tumor growth proteins,” Chung says.

Vaccines and antibodies that fight tumor growth were first developed about five years ago, and advances are being made. The drug and biological therapy trials are being conducted on breast cancers of various stages, including women with more advanced breast cancer that has metastasized to other sites.

Simple preventive measures can also be effective. Seventy percent of all breast cancers are found through breast self-exams, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Women are also advised to get regular mammograms after age 40, or earlier if they have a family history of breast cancer. Women age 60 or older are at higher risk, as are African-American women who have historically had lower survival rates.

While the majority of lumps and irregularities women find by doing a simple check are not dangerous, the ones that are cancerous have usually been there a while. That means it's still an important check to make sure other tests are not missing something.

Women should do a self-exam once a month, and should also get an exam from a medical professional at least once every three years.

More than 211,000 women and 1,600 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 40,000 people will die from breast cancer this year. To increase awareness of the need for regular breast cancer screenings, October has been designated “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

Low-cost or free mammograms are available year-round for women 40 and older who are under-insured, or who have no insurance. For more information on the breast cancer early detection program, visit the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp.