But risk factors do not tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several ones, does not necessarily mean that you will get some disease. Most women who have one or more breast cancer risk factors never actually develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors. So, risk factors are not an accurate lead for cancer.
There are different kinds of risk factors. Some, like a person's age or race, cannot be changed. Others are connected to cancer-causing factors in the environment. In this article, I will present some of the most common breast cancer risk factors.
Gender - Simply being a woman is the main risk factor of developing breast cancer. Although many women have more breast cells than men, the main reason they develop breast cancer more often is because their breast cells are constantly exposed to the growth effects of the female hormones. These hormones are estrogen and progesterone. Men can also develop breast cancer, but there are fewer chances for that to happen.
Aging - The risk of developing breast cancer grows as people get older. Approximately 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers are found in women who younger than 45, while about 2 out of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or even older.
Genetic risk factors - About 5%- 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, resulting directly from gene defects that are inherited from a parent.
Family history of breast cancer - Breast cancer risk is higher among women who have close blood relatives with breast cancer. Having one first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer doubles a woman's risk to develop this disease.
Personal history of breast cancer - A woman with cancer in one breast has a more increased risk of developing a new cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast.
Race and ethnicity - White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are African-American women. African-American women are more likely to die because of breast cancer. The breast cancer survival rate among white women and Asian women is higher than in the case of Afro- American women.
Dense breast tissue - Women with denser breast tissue have more increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Certain benign breast conditions - Women diagnosed with certain benign breast conditions may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Menstrual periods - Women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating at an early age (like before age 12) have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. These are just some of the breast cancer risk factors. For more information, you can ask a doctor about the risk factors of breast cancer.