The National Breast Cancer Foundation states that every year nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer while more than 40,000 will die as a result of their diagnosis. While the exact cause has yet to be identified certain risk factors have; these risk factors allow doctors and patients to understand more about this disease every day.
Genetic Link
The American Cancer Society (ACS) states there may be a genetic mutation responsible for breast cancer. Both the ACS and the Mayo Clinic agree that 5 to 10 percent of breast cancers are linked to this genetic mutation (change in genes).
Two genes have been identified as the most common breast cancer genes and they are BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. As explained by the ACS, women with these inherited genes have an increased risk of developing breast cancer at some point in their life--in fact the risk is as great as 80 percent.
Family History
While 70 to 80 percent of women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history of this disease, the ACS states that a woman's risk is higher if she has blood relatives experiencing breast cancer as well albeit past or present.
The relatives may be from either the mother or father's side, however should it involve a mother, sister or daughter, the risk doubles. For this reason, it is imperative to perform self exams and receive physicals at least once a year from your gynecologist.
Personal History
While a family history plays a large role in a woman's risk factor, a personal history plays an even larger role. The Mayo Clinic states that if you have or have had cancer in one breast, your risk is greater for developing cancer in your other breast. The ACS explains that it is possible to develop cancer in the original breast as well, it may just appear in another area of the breast. When this occurs it is known and referred to as breast cancer recurrence.
Race
Caucasion women have an increased risk of developing breast cancer than African American women, however according to the ACS, African American women are more likely to die from the disease. This is because the tumors grow faster in African Americans, however the reason for this is still unknown.
Women who are of Asian, Native-American and Hispanic descent are at a lower risk of both developing and dying of breast cancer. Again, the reasons for this have not been identified.
