3 Biggest Risk Factor for Breast Cancer

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer


In this medical article there are 3 biggest risk factor for breast cancer that needs to be considered. People with advanced age, positive family history had breast cancer, and a woman with a medical history is very important in evaluating the risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

  1. Longevity
  2. Family history (first-generation level)
  3. Personal medical history 

Advanced age is a highly significant risk factor for breast cancer invasive (2)

3 Biggest Risk Factor for Breast Cancer
Menopause occurs on average at age 51 years(3). Gray area indicates the postmenopausal population
  • The incidence of invasive breast cancer increases with increasing age.
  • 70% of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer over the age of 55

Family history substantially increases the risk of breast cancer (1)

Women with a first-level generation (mother, sister, or daughter) with the mother's side are at greater risk. The risk increases with the number of first degree relatives.

Keep in mind that about 80% of women with invasive breast cancer have no family history of breast cancer. (1)

"This data is based on approximately 148,000 postmenopausal women participating in the Women's Health Initiative study in which 2.2% (3,236) developing invasive breast cancer after 5 years.

Personal medical history

A woman with postmenopausal personal medical history should also be considered when evaluating the risk for invasive breast cancer.
  1. Any history of breast cancer biopsy, normal or abnormal
  2. History of Atypical Hyperplasia (AH) (both unusual cell size and shape) -> AH increases the risk of breast cancer >> fourfold (1)
  3. Other risk factors for invasive breast cancer include:
  • First gave birth at a later age (nullipara)
  • Menarche (first menstruation) at a very early age
  • Breast density is more than the average
  • There is currently no single clinical finding or test result can quantify risk of breast cancer with certainty.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool as a tool that can provide estimates of data for 5-year and lifetime absolute risk risk. (4)
  • As a hypothetical example, according to the NCI Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, a woman, for example 58 years, no risk factors of invasive breast cancer have an increased risk of developing the disease within 5 years, same with a woman 15 years younger, age 43 years, with a history family had the disease. (5)

REFERENCES

  1. American Cancer Society. Breast cancer facts & figures 2007-2008. http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/BCFF-Final.pdf. Accessed March 24, 2009.
  2. National Cancer Institute. Fact sheet: probability of breast cancer in American women. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/probability-breast-cancer. Accessed March 24, 2009.
  3. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 16th ed. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Companies Inc; 2005:2209.
  4. Lancet. 2001;358:1389-1399.
  5. National Cancer Institute. Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool. http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/. Accessed November 2008.
  6. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007;99:1695-1705.

No comments:

Post a Comment