Gender: Simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Although women have many more breast cells than men, the main reason they develop more breast cancer is because their breast cells are constantly exposed to the growth-promoting effects of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Hurvitz agrees that the high rate of cell turnover in the breast is likely a contributing factor to why breast cancer is a common affliction, but she says getting a complete answer to the question of what makes breast tissue more susceptible to cancer than some other body tissues is difficult.
Breast cancer can occur in both men and women, but it's far more common in women. Substantial support for breast cancer awareness and research funding has helped create advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Black women have a higher chance of developing breast cancer before the age of 40 than White women. At every age, Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than any other race or ethnic group.
If yours is scaly or inflamed, that's a red flag. Changes in skin texture. If you develop a rash, puckering or dimpling on the breast, that could be a sign of breast cancer. Skin changes related to breast cancer may resemble the rough skin of an orange peel.
Symptoms of stage 1 breast cancer include skin irritation or dimpling, swelling/redness/scaling/flaking/thickening of the nipple or breast skin, change in the size or the shape of the breast, nipple turning inward, change in the appearance of a nipple, nipple discharge that is not breast milk, breast pain, nipple pain, ...
Race and ethnicity
Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer. Risk in different groups also varies by type of breast cancer. For example, African American women are more likely to have the less common triple-negative breast cancer.
The older a woman is, the more likely she is to get breast cancer. Rates of breast cancer are low in women under 40. About 4% of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S. are younger than 40 [6]. Rates begin to increase after age 40 and are highest in women over age 70 (see Figure 2.1 below).
A painless lump in the breast is usually the first sign of breast cancer, though you may not feel it yourself. Instead, many lumps are detected by a routine screening mammogram. In fact, at the time of diagnosis, most women don't have any apparent signs of breast cancer.
All cancers begin as asymptomatic, and all tumors start so small they are undetectable. You can have breast cancer without knowing it for several years, depending on how quickly it starts, grows, and spreads.
Alcohol consumption is one of the major modifiable risk factors for the disease, causing 7 of every 100 new breast cancer cases in the Region. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, WHO encourages everyone to understand that the risk of breast cancer can be significantly reduced by simply reducing alcohol consumption.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in women, other than skin cancer, regardless of race. White women are more likely to develop breast cancer than Black women, but among women younger than 45, the disease is more common in Black women than in White women.
Compared to women who don't drink at all, women who have three alcoholic drinks per week have a 15% higher risk of breast cancer.
Breast cancer occurrence increases with age and peaks at menopause. Beginning menopause after the age of 55 years may increase exposure to estrogen, which may increase the risk of breast cancer. Gene mutations can also lead to breast cancer.
While obesity and dense breasts increase the risk of breast cancer, there is no scientific evidence that breast size does.
Trans fats are a type of fat that is common in processed and premade foods. Scientists have linked it with a higher risk of breast cancer. Trans fats most commonly occur in processed foods, such as fried foods, some crackers, donuts, and packaged cookies or pastries.
Experts are still not sure why left-sided breast cancer appears to be more common. Over the years, researchers have made various hypotheses to try to explain it, such as: the larger size of the left breast. early detection of tumors in those who are righthanded.
How soon after a breast cancer diagnosis should you have surgery? Breast cancer surgery is often the first course of treatment. In some cases, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy first (called neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to help shrink larger cancer cells. Surgery should come within a few weeks of diagnosis.
Studies show that even though breast cancer happens more often now than it did in the past, it doesn't grow any faster than it did decades ago. On average, breast cancers double in size every 180 days, or about every 6 months. Still, the rate of growth for any specific cancer will depend on many factors.
Chemotherapy is not usually offered for stage 1 breast tumours. It may be offered after surgery (called adjuvant therapy) for these tumours if there is a high risk that the cancer will come back (recur). Find out more about the risk of breast cancer recurrence and adjuvant therapy.