Risk Factors of Breast Cancer

As stated above the reasons or causes for cancerous growth in the breast is still unidentified. But years of research have revealed certain factors that might be more responsible for increasing the risk of breast cancer. These factors can be categorized into those one can change and those one cannot.

Some of the risk factors associated with breast cancer that cannot be changed are- belonging to the female gender, aging, Family history of breast cancer among first degree relatives, hereditary factors, Race and ethnicity are factors- for e.g. African-American women are more at risk than their Asian or Native-American counterparts, women having a personal history of breast cancer, women with denser breast tissue and benign breast conditions that often lead to breast cancer growth.

There are certain other risk factors that may lead to cancerous growth in the breast this set of factors are more life style based and can often be modulated and changed to suit a healthier and risk free life. Some of these factors are:

• Hereditary risk - It has long been known that women whose mothers or sisters had breast cancer have a higher risk of developing the disease themselves. Recently, it has been discovered that breast cancer can develop when a woman inherits a breast cancer susceptibility gene from one of her parents. The most common of these genes are the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes account for about 10 percent of all breast cancer cases and in families that have these genes, the risk of breast cancer can be very high. However, it is important to realize that 85 - 90 percent of breast cancers and NOT hereditary, and that all women need to be screened for breast cancer, even if no one in their families have ever had the disease.
• Hormonal risk factors - The female hormones estrogen and progesterone are involved in breast cancer formation. For example, it is known that women who start to menstruate at an early age, or who have a late menopause have a higher risk of breast cancer than women who do not. It is also known that women who take hormone replacement therapy after menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer. Many studies have also been done looking at the risk of taking birth control pills. To date, these studies have not demonstrated an increased risk of breast cancer associated with use of these medications.
• Age - Breast cancer becomes much more common as women grown older.
• Gender - Most breast cancer occurs in women, although about 12,000 cases of breast cancer occur in men in the United States each year.
• Diet and Exercise - Studies have shown that women who exercise are less likely to develop breast cancer than sedentary women. Studies have also shown that women who gain weight after menopause have an increased risk of breast cancer compared to women who do not. There are no clear links between diet and breast cancer risk, except for an increased risk of breast cancer in women who consume alcohol on a regular basis.

Other risk factors include:

• Excessive consumption of Alcohol
• Being overweight or obese
• Lack of physical activity
• Opting for induced abortions
• Conceiving or having children late in life
• Recent oral contraceptive use
• Using post-menopausal hormone therapy
• Not breast-feeding after giving birth
• Excessive exposure to chemicals
• Smoking
• Working late nights

Conventional Treatments forBreast Cancer

There are two methods of treatment - local and systemic.

• Local treatments are used to remove or destroy the cancer cells in a specific area.  Surgery and Radiation therapy are examples of local treatments.
• Systemic treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells all over the body. Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy examples of systemic treatments.

The right treatment method, however, depends on the size and location of the breast tumor; the results of the pathologist’ s review of the tumor specimen, the woman's age, menopausal status, and general health; and the stage of the disease.

Any conventional treatment for breast cancer is determined by certain factors that govern the disease, these being, the type of tumor that has been diagnosed, the stage in which it has been diagnosed, the particular characteristics of the tumor and a persons general health conditions or any other disease that the person may be under medication.

Once the diagnosis of a breast cancer has been detected, the Oncologist (a cancer specialist) along with a team should be deciding on the mode of treatment best suggested for you. Keeping in mind the particular condition of an individual patient, the main treatment usually involves around some form of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

Aggressive or late-stage breast cancers are treated with high-dosages of chemotherapy with possible bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapy. Any treatment of cancer is followed by repetitive check ups within weeks and as more time passes within months. The patient is briefed about the chances of reoccurrence too.

Patients Medical Breast Cancer Treatments

At patients medical we believe that quick diagnosis and alternative therapies go a long way in helping cure breast cancer patients. Our esteemed panel of doctors led by Dr. Keswani, who is a holistic gynecologist, helps those female patients with the much acclaimed benefits of hormone therapy in providing some relief to patients. 

Hormones are naturally occurring substances in the body that stimulate the growth of hormone sensitive tissues, such as the breast or prostate gland. When cancer arises in breast tissue, hormones may help it grow and spread. Therefore, drugs that block hormone production or change the way hormones work may fight cancer. Another way to battle the disease is removing organs that secrete hormones, such as the ovaries. Hormone therapy is an effective treatment that helps build natural hormones that can fight cancer cells that affect the breast portion. This therapy works like chemotherapy and is quite effective.

Definitions of Various Terms

Chemotherapy- use of chemical agents in the treatment or control of disease.

Bone Marrow-The soft tissue filling the cavities of bones

Immunotherapy- The therapeutic administration of serum or immune globulin containing preformed antibodies that have been produced by another individual.

We are located at: Patients Medical PC, 800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 (Between 42nd & 43rd Street), Manhattan, NYC, New York, NY 10017.

Appointment Request * Denotes a required field

Not Rated Yet       (0 out of 5) Be the first one to rate this page. Was the content on this page helpful?       Was our website easy to use?       How can we improve this page or your experience with our web site? Type the text from the image into the box below.   The information entered on this page will not be used to contact you unless you provide contact information in your comments. Privacy Policy | Legal Note: clicking "Submit" button will automatically close this window.

First Name:*		Last Name:*
City:*		State:*	Alabama Alaska Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory
E-mail:*		Phone:*
	Please contact me by: E-mail Phone Receive our FREE newsletter I would like to: Request Information Post A Comment
Your comments:

Article Last Updated: 06/26/2009