Lack of exercise, drinking alcohol, being overweight, early puberty or late menopause, and gene mutations such as BRCA1, BRCA2… are risk factors for breast cancer.
Dr. Nguyen Do Thuy Giang, Head of the Department of Breast Surgery, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that researchers have developed a number of statistical tools to help predict a woman's risk of breast cancer. For example, the Gail model is often used to assess a person's risk of breast cancer in the next 5 years and throughout life based on many factors. However, this tool only considers the family history of relatives (such as siblings, parents and children). It cannot be used to estimate risk if you have a history of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or breast cancer or have a family cancer syndrome.
Additionally, the data on which this tool is based does not include American Indian or Alaska Native women. So the estimates for these women may not be accurate. Other risk assessment tools, such as the Tyrer-Cuzick and Claus, are largely based on family history. These tools can give a person a rough estimate of their risk. But according to Dr. Giang, no tool or test can tell for sure whether a person will develop breast cancer. Here are some breast cancer risk factors to consider.
Older: The risk of developing breast cancer increases with age. Most cancers develop after age 50. The average age for developing breast cancer is 63.
Having malignant or benign breast disease : Women with a history of breast cancer or benign breast disease, lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)... have a higher risk of breast cancer.
Lifestyle: As with other cancers, various lifestyle factors contribute to the development of breast cancer. Post-menopausal, overweight... are factors that increase the risk of breast cancer.
Sedentary lifestyle: Linked to increased risk of developing breast cancer and higher cancer recurrence after treatment.
Alcohol: Drinking more than 1-2 servings of alcohol, including beer, wine and spirits, each day will increase the risk of breast cancer. Specifically, a normal person should not drink more than one unit of alcohol per day (one unit of alcohol contains 10g of alcohol), equivalent to 30ml of spirits (40-43 degrees); 100ml of wine (13.5 degrees); 330ml of draft beer (5 degrees); 2/3 of a 500ml bottle or 330ml can of beer (5 degrees).
Food: Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and little animal fat is linked to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of breast cancer.
Overweight, obesity: Overweight, obesity... are factors that increase the risk of breast cancer. Therefore, everyone needs to have a healthy diet and lifestyle, keeping their weight at a normal level.
Early puberty or late menopause: If a woman starts her period before age 11 or 12 or menopause begins after age 55, her risk of breast cancer is higher. This is because breast cells have been exposed to estrogen and progesterone for a long time. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that control the development of sex characteristics such as breast growth and pregnancy. Estrogen and progesterone production decreases with age, dropping sharply at menopause. Longer exposure to these hormones increases the risk of breast cancer.
Older women who have their first child or who have not had children or breastfed: Pregnancy reduces the number of menstrual cycles in a woman's lifetime. Breast tissue is exposed to more estrogen for a longer period of time in women who have their first pregnancy after age 35 or who have never been pregnant.
Women with certain gene mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2: BRCA1 or BRCA2 are the most common genes known to be linked to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other cancers. Male breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers are also at increased risk if there is a mutation in one of these genes.
Overweight, obesity... are factors that increase the risk of breast cancer. Photo: Freepik
Use of hormone therapy: Hormonal contraceptives, including birth control pills and IUDs, release hormones, which increase the risk of breast cancer. But this risk is very small and goes away after you stop using hormonal contraceptives.
Dr. Giang cites studies showing the mixed effects of hormone therapy on health, increasing the risk of some diseases and decreasing the risk of others. Whether estrogen is used alone or in combination with progestin, these hormones increase the risk of breast cancer. If women take hormone therapy during menopause, they should use it for the shortest possible time. Women should consult their doctors when choosing birth control and hormone therapy to treat postmenopausal symptoms.
Family history: You are at higher risk if your mother or sister has had breast or ovarian cancer. Your risk is higher if your relative was diagnosed at a young age.
Previous radiation therapy to the breast or chest area: Radiation therapy to the chest to treat cancer increases the risk of breast cancer, starting 10 years after treatment. The risk of breast cancer depends on the radiation dose and age, and is highest if radiation therapy is given during puberty, when the breasts are forming.
Women with changes in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes who are exposed to radiation, such as radiation from mammograms, may have an increased risk of breast cancer or other breast diseases.
Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS): LCIS is abnormal cells found in the lobules, or glands, of the breast. LCIS in one breast increases the risk of developing invasive breast cancer in both breasts in the future.
Breast density: Dense breast tissue makes it difficult to detect tumors on standard imaging tests such as mammograms. Dense breast tissue is a condition in which there are more milk glands, ducts, and supporting tissue in the breast than fatty tissue. When taking a mammogram, it may be difficult for your doctor to distinguish a tumor from normal background tissue if the tissue is dense.
Duc Nguyen
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