Breast cancer risk factors – Who is at risk for breast cancer?
There are several known risk factors for breast cancer. However, these are only the results of statistical studies on a large number of patients. As for each individual case, it is still very difficult to explain 100% of the reasons for the occurrence of breast cancer in a particular person.
However, with the aim of helping to prevent and reduce the risk of disease, researchers as well as medical professionals have also tried to identify people who are thought to be at high risk of breast cancer. There are risk factors that can’t be changed even if we know it, and there are also risks that can be changed completely or more or less to prevent this terrible disease. Specifically :
Table of Contents
Certain factors cannot be changed that increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
1) Gender :
In fact, breast cancer mainly occurs in women and less than 1% of breast cancer cases occur in men and they are usually over 60 years old.
2) Age :
Up to 85% of breast cancers occur in women aged 50 and over. The older a woman is, the higher her risk of breast cancer is. It is very rare in women under 30 years of age.
3) Genetic factors:
In this respect, I would like to talk a little more deeply.
Most cases of hereditary breast cancer are associated with mutations in two genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. These genes are abbreviated from the English words Breast Cancer.
Everyone carries these two genes. The function of the BRCA genes 1 and 2 is to repair cell damage and ensure normal breast, ovarian, and other cell growth.
But when these genes mutate or contain mutations passed down from previous generations, they become dysfunctional and lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and some other cancers.
In fact, up to 10% of breast cancer cases are caused by an inherited abnormality involving the aforementioned BRCA 1 and 2 genes.
Of course, you also need to be reassured that, if the test shows mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes for you, it does not mean that you will definitely get breast cancer, just that you are at high risk of developing this disease.
In fact, women who are diagnosed with breast cancer and have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation often have a family history of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other cancers.
Moreover, in fact, as mentioned above, only about 10% of breast cancer cases are related to genetic factors, the remaining very large number accounts for 90% of people with non-inherited breast cancer mutated genes associated with breast cancer, and there is no family history of the disease.
Basically, you will be more likely to have a gene mutation associated with breast cancer:
• If you have a close relative, whether a woman or a man, and whether on the paternal or maternal side, was diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50.
• If an individual in your family has both breast and ovarian cancer on the same side.
• If you have a close relative with a form of breast cancer that Medicine calls triple negative breast cancer. This is a rare but difficult-to-treat form of breast cancer that tests negative for all three very important receptors that are particularly associated with breast cancer, estrogen, progesterone, and HER2.
• If there are cancers in your family other than breast cancer, such as prostate, melanoma, pancreas, stomach, uterus, thyroid, colon and sarcoma or sarcoma.
Of course I would also like to point out, of course, that even if someone in your family has a genetic mutation associated with breast cancer, even if it is obviously a risk factor in the family, that does not mean that all family members will get breast cancer.
4) Personal medical history :
If a person has had cancer in one breast, there is also a high risk of developing a second cancer.
5) There is a risk of damage to the breast :
These are usually diagnosed with a biopsy.
Women with at-risk lesions, such as atypical ductal epithelial hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ, are more likely to develop breast cancer one day.
Please note that there is a type of breast lump that is also common in many women that is not breast cancer, which is a breast cyst.
A breast cyst is a fluid-filled sac inside the breast, not a breast cancer. Women may have one or more breast cysts and they may appear in one or both breasts. They are usually round or oval in shape with distinct edges. A breast cyst usually feels like a grape or a ball filled with water, but sometimes a cyst is relatively firm.
Breast cysts usually do not need treatment unless the cyst is large and causes pain or discomfort. In that case, the doctor will drain the fluid from the breast cyst out and relieve these uncomfortable symptoms.
Some factors that increase your risk of developing breast cancer are modifiable.
These are factors that can also contribute to the development of breast cancer, but there are many cases when they have been changed without the risk of breast cancer. Specifically :
1) Overweight or obese :
Women over 50 who are obese have a higher risk of developing the disease than women of the same age with a reasonable body mass index.
According to Health Canada, even being slightly overweight, which is about 5 kg or more, has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause.
2) Lack of physical activity :
Women who are less physically active are at higher risk. It also means that if you increase physical activity, move your body with appropriate exercises, I would like to emphasize that appropriate movement, will be able to contribute to reducing the risk of breast cancer.
3) Alcohol consumption:
The more alcohol you drink, the higher your risk of breast cancer, regardless of the type of alcohol consumed. This fact has been observed in several epidemiological studies, with premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
4) The amount of estrogen :
During menopause, a woman often experiences a dramatic drop in the proportion of the hormone estrogen and often leads to crises related to menopausal health conditions. Therefore, many people have been prescribed by doctors to apply therapy to provide a small amount of estrogen to compensate for this hormone deficiency. Such hormone therapy is called menopausal hormone replacement therapy.
In fact, the combination of estrogen and progesterone in hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of breast cancer and this has been well documented in cases of hormone replacement therapy during the period of time. period of more than 5 years.
5) Exposure to carcinogenic chemicals :
Exposure to chemicals in the environment can contribute to breast cancer. Such harmful substances can be parabens – a type of preservative widely used in cosmetic products; or pesticides such as DDT pesticides, etc.
6) Psychological factors :
The role of psychological state in the initiation of cancer has also been suggested, although this hypothesis is still controversial. Accordingly, studies have also shown a link between certain personality traits and an increased risk of cancer.
7) Some other risk factors :
- Radiation therapy. It is known that women who have undergone high doses of radiation to the chest (intensity mammograms) have a higher risk of developing breast cancer, especially if radiation therapy is given before age 30.
- Infertility (Nulliparity) or late pregnancy, i.e. giving birth only after the age of 30.
- Early menarche (before age 12) or late menopause (after age 55). Such women have prolonged exposure to natural estrogens, increasing their risk of breast cancer.
So I repeat, the above are just some of the factors that Medicine call the risk factors for developing breast cancer. Since it is a risk, if you are one of them, it is very important to pay attention to implement all possible and appropriate measures in an effort to prevent and reverse the risk as far as possible.
On the contrary, you can rest assured that even if these are only risks, even if you have one or more, it is not certain that you have breast cancer if you do not have any. other factors that promote cancer growth.
While it is true that each of us cannot completely determine our own health status, it is certainly true that awareness of our individual health conditions, illness conditions, and other contributing factors diseases so that every day, every hour, efforts to well implement all necessary measures related to eating, living, working and exercising are absolutely necessary and can completely contribute to the prevention and control of diseases. diseases in general and breast cancer in particular.
Good healthy!
VIKUDO