There are many risk factors for breast cancer. The risk factor is described as fact and figures that affect the chances of getting breast cancer.

Some breast cancer risk factors are controllable whereas some are uncontrollable. Controllable risk factors are those which can be managed by a person such as smoking, drinking, diet, unhealthy lifestyle, etc whereas uncontrollable factors are beyond are reach and control like a person’s race, age and family history as they cannot be changed.

Breast cancer risk factors does not necessarily you will acquire the disease, even if you have two or three of them. Sometimes, environmental threats can also be responsible for causing breast cancer.

There are factors that are most dominant than others and these factors are also changeable with effect to aging or lifestyle.

The following are some of the risk factors associated with the breast cancer.


High risk factors of breast cancer disease

  • Gender
    Although men also develop breast cancer, but it is much more common in women since they also have more breast cells in comparison to men.

    The main problem starts when the cells of the breast are affected by growth-promoting hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Gender plays an important role as men have less chances of acquiring this disease than women.

  • Aging
    As a woman gets older, she gets more chances of getting breast cancer. According to estimate, women younger than 45 years have 1 out of 8 chance of getting affected by breast cancer whereas women who are above 55 years also have chances of getting breast cancer from 2 out of 3.

  • Family records

    a woman becomes more likely to get this disease if the disease runs in family and two or three of the blood relatives have got this disease.

    First degree relative that also have this disease makes a woman more likely to suffer from this like family history of sister, mother, daughter).

    It has also been estimated that 15% of women who have a family history suffers from breast cancer, which means that the other 85% gets the disease without having a family history.

  • Age of menarche
    It has also been said that girls who have started menstruating early, before 12 years, have more chances of suffering from this disease as these women are also likely to go to menopause at a later age, ie 55 years.

This is most important risk factors for breast cancer disease, if you see some positions from this list about you – doctor visit is important (and mammography test).

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