Breast cancer affects all women, but the risk increases with age. It usually affects people over the age of 50, but breast cancer can also occur at very young ages. Studies have shown that the risk for breast cancer is the result of a combination of factors. Some of the risk factors include:
1. Age - the risk increases with age; but we emphasize that young people are also affected by breast cancer.
2. Changes in some genes - up to 10% of breast cancers are the result of a genetic defect. Women who have inherited these genetic changes are also at high risk for ovarian cancer.
3. Early onset of menstruation - Girls who start menstruating before the age of 12 are exposed to hormones for a longer period of time, increasing their risk for breast cancer.
4. The onset of menopause after the age of 55 - just like the onset of menstruation, late menopause increases a woman's exposure to hormones over a longer period of time, thus increasing her risk for breast cancer.
5. Pregnancy in old age or the birth of children.
6. Lack of physical activity.
7. Being overweight or obese after menopause.
8. Compressed breast tissue.
9. Personal stories of breast cancer - women who have had breast cancer are more likely to be affected by breast cancer again.
10. Family history of breast cancer - a woman's risk for breast cancer is higher if she has had a mother, sister, daughter (first-degree relatives) with breast cancer.
11. Alcohol consumption and smoking.
For further information, you can read this article , a reprint of a 2014 interview conducted by Anabel.al for Professor Dr. Gottfried J.Locker MD, one of Vienna's best oncologists, specializing in breast cancer . Also, here is information on common signs, and here is a guide on how to care for breasts depending on your age.
Source: Institute of Public Health
