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BREAST CANCER RISK FACTORS

Although breast cancer is not a contagious disease, it is a disease that many people can get all over the world. Even after 30 years of research, researchers still do not know what causes this disease. However, they have identified many risk factors, and they can conclude that breast cancer is most likely a combination of risk factors that together make cells in the breast become cancerous. But despite how healthy a person can be, no one has full control over whether they will get breast cancer. 

RISK FACTORS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL GROUPS:

Family History Genetic Risks Health Risks Reproductive Risks Lifestyle Risks

1. FAMILY HISTORY:

If a person has an immediate family member with a history of breast, ovarian, or prostate cancer, it increases his/her own risk of breast cancer. This chance will increase three to four times for a woman compared to a woman without an immediate family member who has a history of cancer.

2. GENETIC RISKS

Some people have genes inside their bodies that prevent them from making too much estrogen called BRCA 1 (breast cancer gene 1) or BRCA 2 (breast cancer gene 2). While this may reduce the estrogen level in the body and lower the amount of estrogen the body is open to over time, mutations in BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 could be harmful. Researchers have found that people with these genes have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those who don't. Statistics show that 60-90% of women with BRCA 1 and 30-85% of women with BRCA 2 develop the disease. Heretics may also be a problem. If a woman is of the Ashkenazi Jewish Heritage, she has a slightly higher percentage of carrying BRCA 1 or 2 than other women in the world.

3. HEALTH RISKS

A woman's height may also affect her chance of getting breast cancer. Taller women generally have an increased risk. Studies show that women over 5' 3'' have a slightly higher risk than those under - researchers think that this is due to sudden growth spurts in a woman's youth may damage breast cells unintentionally.

Just being female also increases a woman's chance of having breast cancer by an incredible percentage. The disease is 100 times more common among women than among men. This is why people rarely hear of a man being diagnosed of breast cancer.

Getting Older can also increase a person's risk. As people become older and their bodies do not function as well, it becomes more likely that abnormal changes will take place in the cells. 95% women with breast cancer are over 40.

Women with high breast density also are more likely to get the disease. High breast density means that there is more tissue than fat in the breast. Women with very dense breasts are 4-5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than women with low density.

Other factors concering health/medical history include: - Carcinoma in Situ (when large numbers of abnormal cells grow in the lobules of breasts) - Large amount of radiation exposure in youth - H igh levels of estrogen in blood - H igh bone density (indicator of elevated blood estrogen) - B enign breast conditions (non-cancerous breast disorders) - P ersonal history of breast cancer ( 12% women who have already had breast cancer will develop it again after 20 years) 4. REPRODUCTIVE RISKS

Women who have menopause (to stop having periods) at age 55 or older have twice the risk for breast cancer compared to women who go through it before age 45. This is because the later a woman goes through menopause, the longer her breast tissue has been exposed to estrogen during the the menstrual cycle.

Women who have their first period before age twelve also have a higher risk. There has been an 20% increase among women who have had their first period before twelve compared to women who have it before fourteen. This is also related to the amount of estrogen a woman is exposed to.

Other factors concerning reproductive risks include: - Current/ recent use of birth control pills - Not having children/ having first child after age 35. - Postmenopausal hormone use 5. LIFESTYLE RISKS

Women who are overweight or who gain much weight over a small period time are also prone to a higher risk of breast cancer. The reason behind is that fat tissue contains an enzyme called aromatase. Aromatase converts hormones called androgens (in the adrenal glands of the breast) to estrogen, and extra estrogen increases chances of having the disease. Being overweight increases chances by 30-60%.

Consuming alcohol also increases chances of getting breast cancer. Women who drink two to three alcoholic beverages per day have a 20% greater risk of getting the disease. Alcohol alters the way the body metabolizes estrogen, and reduces blood levels of vitamin folic acid. Vitamin folic acid is an essential element that helps with DNA synthesis and repair. Therefore, abnormal cells in the breast could be multiplied easily.

Sometimes, having a high socioeconomic status also increases chances of getting breast cancer. Studies show that many women with a high socioeconomic status tend to have their first child at a later age, have fewer children, and breast feed less.

Women who don't exercise are also more physically prone to breast cancer. Exercise helps with weight control, delays the first period until the person is older, and reduces the frequency of menstrual cycles (this helps to decrease the total amount of estrogen a woman is exposed to over her lifetime). Women who are physically active regularly have a 20% lower risk comapred to regularly inactive women. IMAGE URL: []

QUIZ QUESTION: What are three risk factors that may cause a person to have breast cancer?