Top Causes Of Breast Cancer You Should Know About
There are several risk factors (such as family inheritance) that can predispose you to developing breast cancer.
What are the main causes of breast cancer? This question is asked by many people, but especially women, since this disease is still very present in the female population.
At present, if detected early, there are chances of a cure. However, cancer is still a diagnosis that will mean a before and after in a person’s life.
People as famous and well-known as Angelina Jolie have already put themselves in the hands of surgeons to perform a mastectomy, with the aim of reducing the chances of developing this disease due to the first of the causes that we will develop below.
Genetic inheritance
According to various studies and experts such as those of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, 5% and 10% of breast cancer cases are due to the genetic inheritance of the person. For this reason, it is so important to review the family history and know if any member has suffered from this disease.
Although this percentage may seem small, the truth is that up to 60% of women who inherit this genetic material from their parents are at risk of developing breast cancer before the age of 70. So it is very important to have regular check-ups.
Age
Not only is genetic inheritance one of the causes of breast cancer, but age also influences its appearance. Normally, the disease appears randomly in those women who are over 50 years old.
For this reason, it is recommended to start monitoring the health of the breasts from the age of 45, in order to detect this type of cancer early and start effective treatment as soon as possible.
Personal background
Surely, we have seen this third of the causes of breast cancer in someone around us and it is that many people who develop cancer in one breast run the risk of it reappearing in the other over time.
It may take five or ten years. Sometimes, when the cancer returns, it does so much more strongly and in the form of metastasis. This normally happens to those women who have suffered breast cancer in their twenties or thirties.
Exposure to estrogen and progesterone
Estrogen and progesterone are two female hormones that control, among other things, breast development. Long-term exposure to these two hormones is one of the risk factors for breast cancer. This happens in the following circumstances:
- Women who have menstruation at a very early age, before the age of 11.
- Women who go through menopause after 55 years of age.
- Women who have never had children.
- Women who have had children after the age of 35.
Lifestyle, another possible cause of breast cancer
Lifestyle is another cause of breast cancer to consider. There are women who do not take care of themselves at all and, therefore, are more vulnerable to developing various health problems.
Getting regular check-ups, taking care of your diet, maintaining a healthy weight and exercising daily can reduce the chances of suffering from this disease. But for all these habits to provide real benefits, they must be consistently combined with other practices, such as avoiding excesses (of any kind, alcohol, medications, etc.).
In other words: eating healthy and going for a run every day will not help to keep the risk of cancer away if you later commit excess alcohol, do not rest properly and also maintain other bad habits of life.
Breast density
The last of the causes of breast cancer that we will discuss in this article has to do with the density of the breast. This can be seen through a mammogram.
The greater the breast density, the more difficult it will be to perceive any injury or lump due to it through self-examination of the breasts. Therefore, it is important to go to the doctor at least once a year and have a mammogram.
Nowadays, there are different methods to measure the density of the breast very reliable. Those women who have a breast density of more than 50% have a higher risk of suffering from this disease.
Science continues to investigate the causes
In addition to all the causes of breast cancer mentioned, there are others that are still being investigated. For example, it cannot yet be confirmed that the use of oral contraceptives increases the risk of this disease. At the moment, this option is still being studied.
If you are 50 years old, have had menstruation before the stipulated age, have not had children or have already had breast cancer, we recommend that you have regular check-ups, self-examinations while you lead a healthy lifestyle.
