Risk factors
Cancer is a multifactorial disease, which means that many elements contribute to the problem, and we are often unable to trace back cancer to a single cause. Instead of avoiding the causes of breast cancer, it is more helpful to know about the risk factors.
Risk factors are circumstances and elements that increase the risk of a given disease or condition. In this case, the more risk factors for breast cancer you have, the more likely it will be to develop a malignant tumor.
The risk factors include:
- Age: Increasing age is a common risk factor for breast cancer. The disease is more common in women after 40 years, and the risk increases as they age. The most affected age group is women of 50 years and older, with an incidence of 345 cases per 100,000 women. The second peak of incidence starts at age 70 years.
- Family history: Having cases of breast cancer in your family increases the risk of the same disease in your case. If there’s a positive family history from your mother, you’re 4 times more likely to have breast cancer than the general population. If you have more than one first-degree relative with breast cancer, the risk is 5 times higher.
- Reproductive factors: Not having any children or having them at a late age can increase the risk of breast cancer. The late age of menopause may also have the same effect.
- Hormonal factors: High levels of sex hormones are associated with a higher rate of breast cancer. Thus, receiving hormone replacement therapy and taking oral contraceptives may increase the risk of this type of cancer.
- Prior breast medical problems: Particularly, a prior case of breast cancer is associated with another tumor found in the contralateral breast. Women who had a solitary papilloma, breast hyperplasia, or a fibroadenoma with complex features may also double their risk of breast cancer as compared to the rest of the population. In contrast, benign fibrocystic changes of the breast are not associated with breast cancer in any way.
- Lifestyle factors: The most important lifestyle risk factor is a diet consisting of processed foods and saturated fat. In contrast, the Mediterranean diet, a moderate intake of alcohol, and moderate consumption of red meat and sweets apparently have a protective effect against this type of cancer.
- Obesity: The risk is higher if we follow a high-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, especially if combined with a sedentary lifestyle and obesity. Abdominal obesity is a significant risk factor, along with high insulin levels. Postmenopausal women would be at a higher risk if they gained over 20 kilograms of body weight from their initial weight when they were 18 years if they follow a western diet with moderate consumption of alcohol (more than 3 alcoholic beverages every week).
- Environmental exposure: Similar to other cancers, environmental exposure to carcinogens such as radiation and tobacco smoke can increase the risk of breast cancer in women.