Breast cancer is one of the most common forms
of cancer, but the good news is that it's also one of the most
treatable, as long as it's caught early. One of the ways that people can
ensure that it is caught early is to know their risk factors. Those who
have increased risk factors for developing breast cancer can have their
doctor begin screening for it earlier. Here are 10 common risk factors
for developing breast cancer.
Being A Woman
The vast majority of breast cancer cases affect women. However, this doesn't mean that it's impossible for men to
develop breast cancer.
In fact, the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2012, nearly
2,200 men will develop breast cancer and just over 400 will die from it.
However, just being a woman already places a person at risk for
developing breast cancer.
Genetics
There are certain genes that are passed from parent to child that
make a person more susceptible to developing cancer. There are two
genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2, which can have
abnormal mutations
that lead to breast cancer. Everyone has these genes and they are
responsible for the health of breast tissue, but when they are abnormal,
breast cancer can develop. The good news is that those with a family
history of breast cancer have the option of being screened for these
mutations, which means that it's possible for individuals to know in
advance if they have this increased risk.
Race And Ethnicity
Caucasian women have a slightly higher risk of developing breast
cancer, but African-American women have a higher risk of developing more
aggressive, advanced stage cancers at a younger age than other
demographics of women. Because of this, African-American women are also
more likely to die from breast cancer.
Age
As with many other diseases and conditions, the risk of developing
breast cancer increases as a person gets older. In fact, two out of
three cases of
invasive breast cancer are
diagnosed in women over the age of 55. Because of this, doctors will
usually start screening women around the age of 40, unless they have
other risk factors or they request earlier screening. And while no one
can do anything about growing older, people can grow older and be
healthier.
Being Overweight
Women who are overweight have a statistically higher incidence of
breast cancer than women who are not overweight. Being overweight is
defined as having a body mass index (BMI) over 25. This risk is caused
by fat cells. Fat cells produce
estrogen,
and breast cancer tumors are often called "estrogen dependent" tumors.
The location of the extra weight matters as well. Extra fat around the
belly may cause more of a risk than extra fat in the thighs and
buttocks, but more research is needed to determine why this is.
Not Having Children
There are many benefits to having children, and one of them is the
decreased risk of breast cancer. The reason is that breast tissue begins
growing in adolescence, but breasts remain somewhat immature with
active growth until a woman goes through her
first full-term pregnancy.
The most benefit is seen in women who have children before the age of
30. The hormones associated with pregnancy help to mature breast tissue
and reduce the risk of cancer.
Not Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed a baby, but there are
added benefits to the mother as well. Aside from plenty of uninterrupted
cuddle time with baby, breastfeeding for at least the baby's first year
has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. There are a number
of reasons for this. Breast tissue that is making milk 24 hours a day
has less of a chance to misbehave as well as limiting the number of
menstrual cycles
that a woman has in her lifetime, thereby lowering her estrogen levels
and reducing the likelihood of developing estrogen dependent breast
tumors.
Family History
There is ample evidence to indicate that a woman with a first-degree
family member with breast cancer (mother or sister) have twice as high a
risk of developing breast cancer as someone who doesn't. A person with
two first-degree family members is five times as likely to develop
breast cancer. There is an even higher risk for those who have male
first-degree relatives with breast cancer, though researchers aren't
exactly sure how much of an increased risk exists.
Smoking
It is no secret that cigarettes contain some of the most shocking
chemicals known to man, many of which are known carcinogens, which means
that they cause cancer. So aside from a woman's clothes, hair and
breath smelling bad and looking bad, she is increasing her risk of
developing breast cancer significantly each time she lights up. The good
news is that the benefits of quitting can be seen almost immediately
and it's never too late to quit.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
Hormone replacement therapy has been widely used by postmenopausal
women to help ease the bothersome symptoms associated with menopause
such as hot flashes and fatigue. However since the link between HRT and
breast cancer was discovered in 2002, many women have opted to skip the
hormones. But many more continue to use them and there is reason to
believe that even those women who stopped using them have an increased
risk of developing breast cancer because of the increased amount of
estrogen in the body.
No comments:
Post a Comment