Multiple studies have indicated that many variables increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer. Age and gender are the most significant risk variables. The majority of breast cancers occur in women aged 50 and over. Sometimes women will always get breast cancer, particularly if they have no identifiable risk factors. Although having a risk factor increases your likelihood of developing an illness, it is not a guarantee. Although many women possess risk factors for breast cancer, the disease does not affect most women. If you suffer from breast cancer health risks, you should discuss them with your doctor, along with options for reducing your risk and having your breasts screened for breast cancer.
Why Does Breast Cancer Happen?
Cancer of the breast develops when mutations or other changes in the DNA of breast cells render some cellular processes, including those responsible for regulating cell division and proliferation, inoperable. The immune response or other cells often eliminate these altered cells. However, some cells manage to evade the body's defenses and develop uncontrolled, eventually creating a breast tumor. To reduce your chance of developing breast cancer, you should prioritize addressing the multiple risk factors throughout your life while also taking preventative measures to keep an eye on the risk factors you have no control over.
How Widespread Is Breast Cancer?
The average lifetime risk of acquiring breast cancer for a female is roughly 13%, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). To put it another way, that's a 1 in 8 probability of getting breast cancer. You also have a 7 out of 8 chance of never being diagnosed with breast cancer. One in three female malignancies diagnosed is breast cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that the annual rate at which women are diagnosed with breast cancer must have increased by 0.5%.
Risk Factors For Breast Cancer
Men are at a considerably lower risk for developing breast cancer than women. A lifetime risk of having this form of cancer for American women is approximately one in eight. Men living in the United States today have about a 1 in 800 chance of someone being diagnosed with testicular cancer over their lives. Male risks of breast cancer factors remain poorly known. Some biological and environmental variables have been discovered as possible contributors, but for most males, there is no recognised risk factor besides just becoming older. On average, men are 71 when they learn they have breast cancer.
Age
Because of the increasing age-related risk of breast cancer, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists recommends that women's overall average risk begin getting annual mammograms around age 40.
Sex
The likelihood of acquiring breast cancer is much higher in women than in men.
Personal And Familial Background
The chance of developing breast cancer is raised in women with a history of extremely unusual hyperplasia and lobular adenocarcinoma throughout situ (cancerous cells inside the milk-producing glands of the breast). The risk of getting breast cancer in the other breast is higher if you've already had it in one. A higher risk is also associated with a history within the family with breast cancer. ⁹
Consumption Of Alcoholic Beverages
A woman's chance of acquiring breast cancer is directly proportional to her alcohol use.
Radiation
Radiation therapy to the chest region, whether received in infancy or early adulthood, is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life.
Age Of Menstruation
The chance of developing breast cancer rises if you had your first period before age 12.
Age Of Menopause
The chance of developing breast cancer rises beyond 55 if menopause is delayed.
Age Of Childbirth
The risk increases if you give birth beyond the age of 30.
Pregnancy
Breast cancer is more common among women who have not yet given birth than among those who have.
Hormone Treatment
Specific forms of breast cancer are more likely to develop in women who have undergone menopausal treatment including oestrogen and progesterone.
Body Mass
Breast cancer risk increases after menopause in women with a higher body mass index. Evidence shows that the increased risk of developing breast cancer is caused by excess fat cells, which may then be converted into oestrogen. ¹⁰
Conclusion
To reduce their chances of developing breast cancer, everyone seems curious about what measures they might take. Being a woman, getting older, and having a family history of breast cancer are all things that cannot be altered to reduce one's risk of developing the disease. However, other risks, including being overweight, not getting enough exercise, smoking cigarettes, and consuming unhealthy food, are all modifiable. You can take charge of your health and reduce your chance of developing breast cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices available. The list, as mentioned above, enumerates the known causes of breast cancer.
