Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Breast Cancer Risk Factors


Breast Cancer Risk Factors


 Risk is a person’s chance of getting a disease over a specific time period.  A person’s risk is usually estimated by looking at a specific age group, race etc..

For example, by looking at 100,000 women, ages 20-29 for one year, approximately 4 would develop breast cancer. That is to say, 1 per 25,000 women.  However, the lifetime risk of breast cancer for an American women born in 1990 is about 1 in 8, if she lives to be 85 (komen.org).  Risk factors can range from lifestyle choice to genetics to environmental factors, such as radiation.  It is known that early menarche (before age 12) have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.  Factors that decrease risk are called protective factors.  Women who have given birth before age 30 have a lower risk.  Therefore, giving birth is a protective factor against breast cancer.  It is also reported that women who take postmenopausal hormones have a 25 percent increase in risk.

            Several inherited mutations of genes have been linked to breast cancer, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, p53, and ATM.  These mutations would increase the risk of developing breast cancer, but they are in fact very rare in the population.  Thus, they only account for 10-15 percent of all types of breast cancer diagnosed in the U.S. (komen.org)  BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are well recognized, although it is estimated that only 250,000 women in the U.S. carry this mutation.  If one does carry the BRCA1 mutation, they have a 60-80 % chance of developing breast cancer. (BRCA2, a slightly lower risk)  Since these mutations are quite rare among the general population, it is likely a combination of factors that contributes to the development of breast cancer.

(http://www.komen.org The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation)
 
Related blogs: See my post about about the anti-cancer diet.

For more information Dr. Brent Moyer can be contacted at Brant Arts Chiropractic 905-637-6100. www.drbrentmoyer.com Twitter: @brantartschiro Facebook: Brant Arts Chiropractic

 

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