Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Introduction

A concerning reality is breast cancer risk factors tell the story of acquiring breast cancer. Even as a physician, I am left to think about the horror of risk factors. Most notably, simply being a woman brings a lifetime risk of acquiring breast cancer that’s 1 in 8. The only thing I can think of off-hand and relate to similarly is the risk for trauma being an inner-city minority kid. This risk of breast cancer is compounded by the reality that there is no way to prevent it. Thus, this must be emphasized early and often. Risk factor identification and reduction, coupled with early evaluation, detection and treatment are absolutely vital.

The Reach of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer contracted by American women (after skin cancer). It is the second most common cause of death from cancer (after lung cancer). More than a quarter of a million new cases will be diagnosed in women yearly. Approximately 40,000 women will die from complications of breast cancer annually, representing over 100 deaths every day.

In the event the previous information seemed like too much gloom and doom, understand that the tide has been stemmed. After more than two decades of increase, rates of new cases of breast cancer began dropping in 2000 and have stabilized. This is largely thought to be due to declining rates of post-menopausal hormone use. As you may know, such hormone use has been shown to increase the risk of both breast cancer and heart disease.

Speaking of risks, I don’t especially like this part of the conversation because it always comes across as if everything is a risk factor. There are still controversies about what is or isn’t a risk. As a result, patients end up confused and paralyzed into inaction. Therefore, I’ll mention just enough for you to understand and work with. If you have specific questions on what you’ve heard that I haven’t already addressed in the breast cancer myth posts (Parts I and II), feel free to ask.

There are risk factors you can’t change, like aging, family history and being a woman. Having these risk factors simply means you need to be more diligent in performing self exams. Also, it especially means you must seek early care for suspicious findings. Now, there are other risk factors you can minimize and are under your control. These include the following:

Alcohol use
Choosing not to breast feed
Obesity
Oral contraceptive use
Postmenopausal hormonal therapy

The bottom line is your risk factors don’t cause cancer, and the absence of risk factors doesn’t ensure you won’t have breast cancer. For example, men contract breast cancer as well. What it all comes down to is you must be diligent in performing exams and getting evaluated and treated if something abnormal is discovered. We’ll discuss some of that next.

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