Try to:Īsk your doctor about breast cancer screening. Making changes in your daily life may help reduce your risk of breast cancer. For instance, imagine that your breasts are divided into equal wedges, like pieces of a pie, and sweep your fingers along each piece in toward your nipple. To perform a breast self-exam for breast awareness, use a methodical approach that ensures you cover your entire breast. Prevention Breast cancer risk reduction for women with an average risk Drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer decreases when women stop taking these medications. Women who take hormone therapy medications that combine estrogen and progesterone to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. Women who have never been pregnant have a greater risk of breast cancer than do women who have had one or more pregnancies. Women who give birth to their first child after age 30 may have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Having your first child at an older age. If you began menopause at an older age, you're more likely to develop breast cancer. Beginning your period before age 12 increases your risk of breast cancer. Beginning your period at a younger age. Being obese increases your risk of breast cancer. If you received radiation treatments to your chest as a child or young adult, your risk of breast cancer is increased. These genes can greatly increase your risk of breast cancer and other cancers, but they don't make cancer inevitable. The most well-known gene mutations are referred to as BRCA1 and BRCA2. Certain gene mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer can be passed from parents to children. Inherited genes that increase cancer risk. 
Still, the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease. If your mother, sister or daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, particularly at a young age, your risk of breast cancer is increased.
If you've had breast cancer in one breast, you have an increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast. If you've had a breast biopsy that found lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia of the breast, you have an increased risk of breast cancer.
A personal history of breast conditions. Your risk of breast cancer increases as you age. Women are much more likely than men are to develop breast cancer. Many women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors other than simply being women.įactors that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer include: But having one or even several breast cancer risk factors doesn't necessarily mean you'll develop breast cancer. Risk factorsĪ breast cancer risk factor is anything that makes it more likely you'll get breast cancer. A genetic counselor can also discuss the benefits, risks and limitations of genetic testing to assist you with shared decision-making. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or other cancers, your doctor may recommend a blood test to help identify specific mutations in BRCA or other genes that are being passed through your family.Ĭonsider asking your doctor for a referral to a genetic counselor, who can review your family health history. The most well-known are breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer gene 2 (BRCA2), both of which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. Inherited breast cancerĭoctors estimate that about 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to gene mutations passed through generations of a family.Ī number of inherited mutated genes that can increase the likelihood of breast cancer have been identified. It's likely that breast cancer is caused by a complex interaction of your genetic makeup and your environment. But it's not clear why some people who have no risk factors develop cancer, yet other people with risk factors never do. Researchers have identified hormonal, lifestyle and environmental factors that may increase your risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer may also begin in the glandular tissue called lobules (invasive lobular carcinoma) or in other cells or tissue within the breast. Cells may spread (metastasize) through your breast to your lymph nodes or to other parts of your body.īreast cancer most often begins with cells in the milk-producing ducts (invasive ductal carcinoma). 
These cells divide more rapidly than healthy cells do and continue to accumulate, forming a lump or mass.
Doctors know that breast cancer occurs when some breast cells begin to grow abnormally.
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