The causes of breast cancer are not fully known, but there are certain risk factors that are linked to the disease. Having one or more risk factor for breast cancer does not mean that you will get breast cancer. It means that your chances of developing breast cancer are higher than women who have fewer risk factors. However, many women with breast cancer do not have any known risk factors aside from being female.
Simply being female and getting older put you at risk. Additionally, there are a number of other risk factors listed below that are linked to the disease. It is important to remember that there are some risk factors that you can control and others that you can not change.
- Being female
- Getting older
- Family history of cancer (breast, ovarian, uterine, colon)
- Any personal history of benign breast disease
- Previous breast biopsy
- Previous cosmetic or other breast surgery
- Exposure to large amounts of radiation, such as frequent x-rays in youth
- Early onset of menarche (before age 12)
- Late onset of menopause (after age 55)
- Having no children
- Not breastfeeding
- Late age at first pregnancy (after 35)
- Use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Atypical hyperplasia or LCIS (lobular carcinoma in situ)
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Obesity