Risk Factors  
• Genetic Risk Factors

Some people believe that they inherit breast cancer, but the actual situation is more complex. Damage to DNA causes breast cancer and this damage is both inborn and accumulated.

Click here for a complete discussion of inherited and accumulated risk factors.

• Relative Risk
1.0
 No family history
1.5
 Post menopausal, first-degree relative
1.8
 First-degree relative with breast cancer
3.0
 Pre-menopausal, first degree relative
4.0
 Post menopausal, first-degree relative with bilateral breast cancer
9.0
 Pre-menopausal, first-degree relative with bilateral breast cancer
• Personal History

The personal history of a patient can reveal other correlative risk factors. An increased incidence of breast cancer is associated with:

  • colon cancer
  • thyroid cancer
  • endometrial cancer
  • ovarian cancer
Alcohol, prescription drugs, and exposure to hormones such as birth control pills, corticosteroid topicals can also affect the clinical picture.
• Reproductive History
First-term pregnancy before age 20
First-term pregnancy before age 20-34
Early menarche, before age 12
First-term pregnancy after age 35
Nulliparous
late menopause, after age 55
• Other Risk Factors
Veggies, alcohol, hormone replacements

Diet - Lower breast cancer incidents in cultures with diets low in animal fats, high in beta-carotenes, and retinoids.

Alcohol - Increased risk associates with two or more alcoholic drinks per day

Hormone replacement - Increased risk for long-term users of cyclical estrogen and high estrogen content oral contraceptives