Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Although more women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in recent decades, fewer women have died because of early diagnosis and better treatments. The cause of breast cancer is not known.
A number of things increase your risk for breast cancer:
Gender
- A woman is 100 times more likely than a man to contract breast cancer (although the disease affects men as well).
Age
- The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. The majority of women with invasive breast cancer are 50 or older when diagnosed.
Genetics
- Genes that increase your risk of breast cancer can be inherited from either parent.
Family history
- Having a very close blood relative, such as a mother or sister, who has had breast or ovarian cancer, can increase your risk.
Race
- Caucasian women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer.
Personal history
- People who have had breast cancer have a greater chance of developing another cancer in the same breast or in the other breast.
Other risk factors:
- Your menstrual periods started at an early age
- You entered menopause at a late age
- You’ve taken hormone replacement therapy for a long time
- You had your first baby late in life.
Ways to reduce your risk for breast cancer
Following are recommendations from the American Cancer Society (ACS):
- Exercise regularly: As few as 75-150 minutes of brisk walking each week has been shown to lower risk.
- Limit alcohol: Women who have two or more alcoholic drinks a day have about 1 ½ times the risk of breast cancer compared to women who don’t drink at all. ACS recommends no more than one drink per day for women and three drinks per day for men (a single drink amounts to 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1 ½ ounces of 80-proof liquor).
- Avoid or limit menopausal hormone therapy: Use of hormone replacement therapy is an important discussion to have with your physician with regard to your personal medical and family history. Other options, such as acupuncture for symptom management, may need to be considered.
- Watch your weight: Being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk. This is especially after menopause and for women who gain weight as adults. The major source of estrogen for postmenopausal women is not the ovaries, but fat tissue. The increased risk may be due in part to more estrogen being made in fatty tissue. There is evidence that losing weight may lower breast cancer risk. A target weight goal can be calculated by going to www.cdc.gov/healthyweight .
