Studies have shown that your risk for breast cancer is due to a combination of
factors. The main factors that influence your risk include being a woman and
getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or
older.
Risk Factors You Cannot Change
_ Genetic mutations. Inherited changes (mutations) to certain genes, such as
BRCA1 and BRCA2. Women who have inherited these genetic
_ Getting older. The risk for breast cancer increases with age; most breast
cancers are diagnosed after age 50.
_ Having dense breasts. Dense breasts have more connective tissue than fatty
tissue, which can sometimes make it hard to see tumors on a mammogram.
Women with dense breasts are more likely to get breast cancer.
_ changes are at higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
Reproductive history. Early menstrual periods before age 12 and starting
menopause after age 55 expose women to hormones longer, raising their risk of
getting breast cancer.
_ Family history of breast cancer. A woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if
she has a mother, sister, or daughter (first-degree relative) or multiple family
members on either her mother’s or father’s side of the family who have had
breast cancer. Having a first-degree male relative with breast cancer also raises a
woman’s risk.
_ Personal history of breast cancer or certain non-cancerous breast diseases.
Women who have had breast cancer are more likely to get breast cancer a second
time. Some non-cancerous breast diseases such as atypical hyperplasia or
lobular carcinoma in situ are associated with a higher risk of getting breast
cancer.
_ Women who took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), which was given to some
pregnant women in the United States between 1940 and 1971 to prevent
miscarriage, have a higher risk. Women whose mothers took DES while
pregnant with them are also at risk.
_ Previous treatment using radiation therapy. Women who had radiation therapy
to the chest or breasts (like for treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma) before age 30
have a higher risk of getting breast cancer later in life.
Risk Factors You Can Change
Being overweight or obese after menopause. Older women who are
overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than
those at a normal weight.
Not being physically active. Women who are not physically active
have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
Reproductive history. Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not
breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise
breast cancer risk.
Taking hormones. Some forms of hormone replacement therapy
(those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during
menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than
five years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have
been found to raise breast cancer risk.
Drinking alcohol. Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer
increases with the more alcohol she drinks.
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