What are the Breast Cancer Risk Factors - Breast Cancer Treatment Hospital India

Every woman wants to know what she can do to lower her risk of breast cancer. Some of the factors associated with breast cancer -- being a woman, your age, and your genetics, for example -- can't be changed. Other factors -- being overweight, lack of exercise, smoking cigarettes, and eating unhealthy food -- can be changed by making choices. By choosing the healthiest lifestyle options possible, you can empower yourself and make sure your breast cancer risk is as low as possible.

The known risk factors for breast cancer are listed below. Click on each link to learn more about the risk factor and ways you can minimize it in your own life. If a factor can't be changed (such as your genetics), you can learn about protective steps you can take that can help keep your risk as low as possible.

Below you will find a summary of the factors that increase risk for developing breast cancer, including both factors that we cannot change and those we can.

Risk Factors We Cannot Change

Gender

Women account for more than 99 percent of all breast cancer cases.

Age

After gender, age is the most influential risk factor for developing breast cancer. Women younger than age 40 account for only 4.7 percent of invasive breast cancer diagnoses and only 3.6 percent of in situ breast cancer diagnoses. Over 70 percent of all breast cancer diagnoses are made in women who are 50 or older.

Personal History

If a woman has had cancer in one breast, she is at increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast.

Family History

Women with a relative who has had breast cancer are at higher risk of developing breast cancer themselves, particularly if it is a first-degree relative, such as a mother, sister or daughter.
That risk is further increased if a woman has multiple first-degree relatives who have had breast cancer, or if she has a first-degree relative who developed breast cancer at a young age or in both breasts.

Radiation

Exposure to high doses of chest radiation, such as for medical therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma, particularly during childhood, can greatly increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers have found that the age at which radiation was received is inversely related to the acquired risk. Thus, women who received radiation after their menopausal years incurred very little risk.

Age at Menstruation

A woman's amount of exposure to estrogen and progesterone during her lifetime is believed to be a risk factor. The longer a woman is exposed, the more likely she is to develop breast cancer. Therefore, if a woman begins menstruation before age 12, she is believed to be at slightly higher risk.

Age at First Birth

It has been observed that women who have their first child after age 29, or who do not have any children, are at slightly higher risk for breast cancer than women who have their first child before age 29. It has been proposed that breast changes during pregnancy may have protective effects against cancer development because risk of breast cancer appears to decrease with each additional childbirth.

Age at Menopause

Women who go through menopause after the age of 54 have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than women who go through menopause at age 54 or younger. Their higher risk may be related to their higher lifetime exposure to estrogen and progesterone.

Breast Density

Studies have consistently shown that higher breast density is linked with increased risk of breast cancer. Research is examining whether breast density may be modifiable by changing women's hormones or diet. One medication that has been demonstrated to reduce breast density is tamoxifen.

Risk Factors We Can Change

Obesity

Studies have shown a clear association between obesity and increased risk of post-menopausal breast cancer. Because having more fat tissue can increase a woman's level of estrogen, it is important for a woman to attempt to control her weight, particularly after menopause. Once a woman has stopped menstruating, her levels of estrogen and progesterone are much lower than they once were. Excess fat tissue may cause significant increases in her hormone levels.

Physical Activity

Physical activity not only helps a woman reduce her risk of breast cancer by maintaining a healthy body weight, it may also have its own benefits to risk reduction. Some studies have shown that physical exercise throughout a woman's life reduces her risk, independent of her weight.

Alcohol Consumption

Many epidemiological studies spanning the past 20 years have shown an association between alcohol consumption and increased risk of breast cancer. Studies have consistently found that women who consume at least three alcoholic drinks per day are at higher risk for developing breast cancer than women who do not drink alcohol. Furthermore, study findings have shown that for women who drink two alcoholic drinks or more per day, breast cancer risk is related to the amount of alcohol consumed — higher consumption of alcohol equals higher breast cancer risk.