Saturday, August 2, 2008

What Are the Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?

By Ray Lam

For every disease there are some risk factors it is same with breast cancer. There are some risk factors which are not under the control of a person and some risk factors are those which depend on the life style of a person.

First I want to write about the factors which cannot be changed, if you are a woman your risk of getting breast cancer is automatically increased. Women are at a greater risk of getting breast cancer as the breast cells are persistently exposed to hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Men can also suffer from breast cancer but breast cancer in men is a very rare case.

Risk of breast cancer also increases with age. This is also one of the factor which a person can not control. If some gene changes are running in a family that means if the breast cancer is hereditary the chance of getting affected automatically increases without any control on it. If a woman is having cancer in one breast the chance of getting cancer in another breast or in another part of same breast increases. White women are at high risk of breast cancer than Asian women.

A history of breast cancer also leaves women at a greater risk of developing the same cancer. This happens when the cancer cells spread to the lymph glands. There is a great risk that the cancer will develop in the opposite breast. When breast conservation therapy is used as treatment for the cancer, there is a risk of cancer redeveloping in the same breast.

Examine your breast every month beginning at age of 20. Consult your doctor to get instruction for self-breast examination. Check for a new lump is it painful or not? Unusual thickening of tissue, discharge from nipple, and change in the skin of nipple or breast or different breast size or shape than before.

Do a mammogram after age of 40. Women whose mammograms show many dense areas of tissue have an increased risk of breast cancer compared to women whose mammograms reveal mainly fat tissue. A woman who is told that her mammogram has areas of increased density should ask her health care provider to explain what this means.

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