What Affects Your Risk of Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is the most common cancer, diagnosed in one out of eight women in the United States. There are a little more than two million women who live in the U. S. who have been treated for breast cancer. Men are also at risk for breast cancer, but the death rate is quite low, at 0.22%, or two-tenths of a percent.

The chance of a woman dying from breast cancer is one in thirty-three, somewhat less than lung cancer deaths, which lead the statistics in cancer deaths. However, breast cancer death rates are decreasing, and survival rates are on the rise. This may be due to early detection (finding the cancer when it is at an early stage) and also to improved treatments.

Factors that you cannot control

• Your Gender: If you are female, you are at risk for breast cancer. Men can also get the disease, but it is much more rare in men. Just having breast tissue and being female puts you at risk.
  
  
• Increasing Age: As you age, your chance of getting breast cancer increases. Almost 8 out of 10 breast cancers are diagnosed in women over age 50.
  
  
• Your Genes: Between 5% and 10% of breast cancers are related to changes (mutations) in certain genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common mutated genes. If you have these gene changes, you have up to an 80% chance of getting breast cancer during your life. Other genetic changes may increase your breast cancer risk as well.
  
  
• Family health history: If you have close blood relatives who have this disease, you have a higher risk of breast cancer. If you have a mother, sister, or daughter with breast cancer, your own risk is doubled. It does not matter if a your close blood relatives (who have had breast cancer) are from either your mother's or father's side of the family.
  
  
• Previous history of breast cancer: If you have had cancer in one breast, you have a greater chance of getting a new cancer in the second breast, or in another part of the first breast, if there is any breast tissue remaining. Either one of these cases are considered a new primary diagnosis, which is different from the first cancer coming back (recurrence).
  
  
• Previous abnormal breast biopsy: Some of the types of abnormal biopsy results can be linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.
  
  
• Previous breast radiation: If you have had radiation treatment to the chest area earlier in life, you have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer.
  
  
• Menstrual periods and menopause: If you started having periods early (before 12 years old) or went through the change of life (menopause) after the age of 55, you have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer.
  
  
• DES Treatment: If you took the drug DES (diethylstilbestrol) while pregnant, to lower your chances of losing the baby, recent studies show that you have a slightly increased risk of getting breast cancer.
  
  
• Your Race: White (Caucasian) women are slightly more likely to get breast cancer than are African-American women. However, African-American women are at higher risk of death from this cancer. Many experts think that the main reason for this is because they may have faster growing tumors. If you are Asian, Hispanic, or American Indian, you have a lower risk of getting breast cancer.