Breast Cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, accounting for 30 percent of all female cancers.

In 1996, more than 182-thousand women were diagnosed and 40-thousand woman died from breast cancer. But even with statistics like that, many women are still in the dark about the disease. News Specialist Kelley Day will explain more:

Women are still confused about risk factors, breast exams, and treatment. So we talked to a local expert to set the record straight on some of the most commonly asked questions about breast cancer.

The bad news is that all women share the number one risk factor--we're women. But what about other risks ?

Number one: Is risk higher if you never have children? - YES. Two: Is risk higher if you start menstrating early in life ? Or, stop late in life? - YES. The reason: when you have long periods of un-interrupted menstral cycles, you're exposed to hormones that may influence cancer developement.

What about alcohol and fat intake? There IS evidence that more than two alcoholic drinks a day may increase your risk of developing breast cancer. But the link between fat intake and breast cancer is not clear.

Some say women who eat fatty diets dO have increased risk; however, other experts say that's because they don't eat enough fruits and vegtables which are proven, in some cases, to help prevent cancer.

What about exercise? A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows women who exercise four or more hours a week during their reproductive years, can lower their risk of breast cancer by as much as 37-percent.

Do breast implants increase your risk of developing breast cancer? Simple answer - NO. However, they can make it more difficult to find a tumor in a mammogram breast examination.

Moving on to mammograms now. The official recommendation is that there's not enough evidence to prove that ALL women should begin having regular mammograms at age 40. But some doctors will recommend them if you have a particular risk factor--mostly if breast cancer runs in your family. Some women think mammograms are dangerous because of the radiation.

Well they are, but if you're radiated at a young age, the risk is much higher. It goes down significantlly in older women.

Saundra Buys, M.D./University of Utah: ((AFTER AGE 35, THE RISK OF A MAMMOGRAM IS VIRTUALLY ZERO - NOT ZERO, BUT VIRTUALLY ZERO.))

Another commom confusion is breast self exams? Is it better to do them standing up or lying down? The best idea is to do both. But if you have dense or large breasts, lying down may help to spread out the tissue.

Saundra Buys, M.D./University of Utah: ((IN WOMEN WHO ARE LARGE BREASTED, PROBABLY THEY'LL GET THE MOST MILAGE OUT OF LYING DOWN. SMALL BREASTED WOMEN WILL PROBABLY GET THE MOST MILAGE OUT OF STANDING UP.))

You should do breast self examinations once a month.

Doctors say those self-exams are extremely important because 75-percent of the women diagnosed with breast cancer had no known risk factors.