Who Is At Risk For Breast Cancer
Now if we had the answer to that there would likely be fewer concerned women, and if we had a test it would be even better, but we don’t.
According to WMTW.com the exact cause of breast cancer still remains a mystery. The only thing we do seem to know is that risk goes up with age.
Seldom is breast cancer seen in women under the age of 35 although when it is the outcome is not as good, and as we reach our 50’s the number of occurrences increases and the risk continues to rise as women reach their 60’s.
Research has also shown that women who have had breast cancer once have a higher risk of getting it again, although it does appear the percentage of reoccurrences is dropping.
Family history seems to be an important indicator. If a mother, daughter, or sister had breast cancer at a young age the risk increases. It doesn’t appear to have that increased risk factor if they developed breast cancer past the age of 50.
There have also been changes found in certain genes that increase the risk of developing breast cancer. If breast cancer runs in your family you should talk to your doctor about this gene testing and together you can decide if its right for you.
There has been evidence that the longer a woman’s body is producing estrogen either naturally or by HRT the likelihood of breast cancer increases. If you started menstruation early, experienced menopause late, and never had children your could be at higher risk of developing breast cancer.
There are lots of factors that seem to influence breast cancer development but not a lot of concrete answers to the “whys” and “hows” of breast cancer.
For now women can only do what they’ve been doing. Conduct regular self exams, and have regular mammograms. We should all be aware of the risks but life is too short to spend it worrying about whether we will develop breast cancer.
