Breast Cancer: Causes, Risk Factors, Prevention

The cause of breast cancer is unknown. Research shows that certain risk factors are associated with the disease.

Factors that increase your risk for breast cancer include:

• Gender: female, although men can also get breast cancer
• Age: 50 or older
• Personal history of breast cancer
• Family members with breast cancer
• Changes in breast tissue
• Changes is certain genes (BRCA1, BRCA2 and others)
• Race: Caucasian
• Increased exposure to estrogen over a lifetime through:
  • Early onset of menstruation
  • Late onset of menopause
  • No childbearing or late childbearing
  • Absence of breast-feeding
  • Taking hormone replacement therapy for long periods of time (Prempro for more than four years)
  • Tobacco use
• Increased breast density
• Radiation therapy before age 30
• Overuse of alcohol

Studies show that most women with known risk factors do not get breast cancer. Many women who get breast cancer have none of the risk factors listed above except age.

Finding breast cancer early and treating it quickly is the best way to prevent death from the disease. Breast cancer does not cause symptoms in the early stages. It is important to have screening exams and test. These steps can help to find the cancer before symptoms appear:

• Women age 20 or older should perform a breast self-exam every month
• Women between the ages of 20-39 should have a clinical breast exam by a health professional every three years
  • A breast exam should be performed more regularly if there is a family history or there have been previous breast biopsies
• Women age 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year
  • Some advocate that a mammogram should be performed sooner for patients with a strong family history or whom have had pervious breast biopsies performed
• After age 40, women should have a breast exam by a healthcare professional every year