Breast Cancer: risk factors, symptoms and prevention.

 

A risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection. Below are a list of breast cancer risk factors.

BREAST CANCER RISK FACTORS

• Age: The older a woman gets, the higher is her risk of developing breast cancer; age is a risk factor. Over 80% of all female breast cancers occur among women aged 50+ years (after the menopause).

• Gender: Women acquire breast cancer 100 times more often than men because of their hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone. The exposure of breast cells in a woman to these growth-drivers accounts for the huge difference. 

•  Family History: women who have a close relative who has/had breast or ovarian cancer are more likely to develop breast cancer. If two close family members develop the disease, it does not necessarily mean they shared the genes that make them more vulnerable, because breast cancer is a relatively common cancer. The majority of breast cancers however are not hereditary.

• Race: Women of European background are most likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer. However, African American women are more likely to die from the disease. Breast cancer is also the No. 1 cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. 

•   Genetics: The genetic mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are, by far, the most prevalent causes of inherited breast cancer. They account for almost the entire 10 percent of hereditary cases. BRCA mutations may spike the risk to 80 percent in some families. In the U.S., women of Eastern European Jewish background have been found to have disproportionately high BRCA mutations. Other genes that are implicated in hereditary breast cancer, though rare, include ATM, p53, CHEK2, PTEN, and CDH1.

• A history of breast cancer: women who have had breast cancer, even non-invasive cancer, are more likely to develop the disease again, compared to women who have no history of the disease.

• · Having had certain types of breast lumps :women who have had some types of benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps are more likely to develop cancer later on. Examples include atypical ductal hyperplasia or lobular carcinoma in situ.

• ·Dense breast tissue: women with more dense breast tissue have a greater chance of developing breast cancer.

•  Estrogen exposure: women who started having periods earlier or entered menopause later than usual have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. This is because their bodies have been exposed to estrogen for longer. Estrogen exposure begins when periods start, and drops dramatically during the menopause.

• Obesity:Post-menopausal obese and overweight women may have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Experts say that there are higher levels of estrogen in obese menopausal women, which may be the cause of the higher risk.

• Height: Taller-than-average women have a slightly greater likelihood of developing breast cancer than shorter-than-average women. Experts are not sure why.

• Alcohol consumption: The more alcohol a woman regularly drinks, the higher her risk of developing breast cancer is. If a woman wants to drink, she should not exceed one alcoholic beverage per day.

• Radiation exposure: Undergoing X-rays and CT scans may raise a woman's risk of developing breast cancer slightly. Scientists at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that women who had been treated with radiation to the chest for a childhood cancer have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

• HRT (hormone replacement therapy): Both forms, combined and estrogen-only HRT therapies may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer slightly. Combined HRT causes a higher risk.

• Certain jobs: French researchers found that women who worked at night prior to a first pregnancy had a higher risk of eventually developing breast cancer.

Canadian researchers found that certain jobs, especially those that bring the human body into contact with possible carcinogens and endocrine disruptors are linked to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Examples include bar/gambling, automotive plastics manufacturing, metal-working, food canning and agriculture. They reported their findings in the November 2012 issue of Environmental Health.

SYMPTOMS
Signs and symptoms of breast cancer may include:

• A breast lump or thickening that feels different from the surrounding tissue
• Bloody discharge from the nipple
• Change in the size or shape of a breast
• Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling
• Inverted nipple
• Peeling, scaling or flaking of the nipple or breast skin
• Redness or pitting of the skin over your breast, like the skin of an orange

PREVENTING BREAST CANCER

Some lifestyle changes can help significantly reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.

• Alcohol consumption: moderate alcohol consumption. Moderation means no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
• Diet - some experts say that women who follow a healthy, well-balanced diet may reduce their risk of developing breast cancer. women who regularly consumed fish and marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids had a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer, compared to other women. regular consumer  should be eating at least 1 or 2 portions of oily fish per week
• Physical exercise - exercising five days a week has been shown to reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
• Body weight - women who have a healthy body weight have a considerably lower chance of developing breast cancer compared to obese and overweight females.
• Women at high risk of breast cancer - the doctor may recommend estrogen-blocking drugs, including tamoxifen and raloxifene. Tamoxifen may raise the risk of uterine cancer. Preventive surgery is a possible option for women at very high risk.
• Postmenopausal hormone therapy - limiting hormone therapy may help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. It is important for the patient to discuss the pros and cons thoroughly with her doctor.
• Breast cancer screening - patients should discuss with their doctor when to start breast cancer screening exams and tests.
• Breastfeeding - women who breastfeed run a lower risk of developing breast cancer compared to other women.
  
  A team of researchers from the University of Granada in Spain reported in the Journal of Clinical Nursing that breastfeeding for at least six months reduces the risk of early breast cancer. This only applies to non-smoking women, the team added. They found that mothers who breastfed for six months or more, if they developed breast cancer, did so on average ten years later than other women.

 Breast Cancer: facts and types. 

 Breast Cancer: diagnosis and treatment.

Beast Cancer: When to see the doctor.


 

source:  http://www.onhealth.com