diyhealth.com

Breast Cancer Causes

Breast Cancer: Causes


Top Causes

1. Breastfeeding history

Breastfeeding is not only beneficial for the baby, but it also protects the mother from breast cancer. Avoiding lactation or breastfeeding for a brief period can cause breast cancer. The breast milk production process helps to preserve the normal health of the breast tissues, thereby preventing malfunctioning of the breast cells. Moreover, the number of missed menstrual cycles can increase during breastfeeding, which reduces the estrogen level. By skipping breastfeeding, a woman becomes vulnerable to breast cancer.

2. Reproductive history

Pregnancy can protect a woman from breast cancer. Women who have not given birth before the age of 30 years or have never given birth have a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Until the first full term pregnancy, the breast cells are more sensitive to the estrogen and hormone disruptive chemicals present in certain products that are ingested or inhaled. Moreover, delaying or avoiding conception increases lifetime exposure to estrogen, thereby boosting a womanโ€™s risk of developing estrogen sensitive cancer cells in the breasts.

3. Aging

The aging process can damage genetic components in the cells. Moreover, the aging body is less capable of repairing the damaged genetic material. Both these factors can cause breast cancer. The risk of developing breast cancer increases after the age of 45 years. Almost two-thirds of all women diagnosed with breast cancer are more than 55 years of age.

4. Radiation therapy at an early age

Women who have received radiation therapy in the chest region before 30 years of age have a higher likelihood of developing breast cancer later in life. The risk of developing the disease is especially high among women who received the treatment during adolescence.

5. Alcohol intake

Women who drink alcohol regularly are more likely to develop hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Prolonged exposure to alcohol can damage the genetic material in the cells, leading to the formation of malignant cells. Alcohol intake can also push up your body weight, boosting secretion of estrogen by the excess fat cells in the abdomen, further pushing up the breast cancer risk. Even women who consume one drink per day have slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer than teetotalers.

6. Obesity

Excess body weight, especially after menopause, can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. In women with a history of breast cancer, gaining excess abdominal fat can cause breast cancer recurrence. Other than the ovaries, the adipose cells in the abdomen are also associated with estrogen secretion. Elevated estrogen levels can stimulate development of hormone receptor positive breast cancer. Losing the abdominal fat tissues helps to diminish the breast cancer risk.

7. Birth control pills

Oral contraceptives can cause breast cancer. The changes in sex hormone levels, that occur following the intake of birth control pills, can stimulate development of cancer cells in the breasts. The risk of breast cancer owing to oral contraceptives is especially high in pre-menopausal women who took birth control pills before their first pregnancy.

8. Hormone replacement therapy

To avoid the physical and emotional discomfort induced by menopause, post-menopausal women rely on hormone replacement therapy. However, the side effects of this treatment can outweigh the benefits, especially when used for a long time. Combination therapy with estrogen and progesterone hormone can cause breast cancer within a short period. The risk of breast cancer is especially high when high doses of synthetic hormones are used in the therapy. Estrogen-only therapy is comparatively safer than combination therapy. However, if used for more than ten years, estrogen replacement therapy can trigger hormone sensitive breast cancer.

9. Menstrual history

Early puberty and late menopause are often linked to breast cancer. Both these factors prolong the menstrual cycle, increasing lifetime exposure to the estrogen and progesterone hormones, thereby boosting the risk of developing hormone-sensitive breast cancer.

10. Genetics

Breast cancer often runs in families. The risk of developing breast cancer is significantly higher among women who have a first-degree female relative with breast cancer. Abnormal genes known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, that are passed on from a parent to the offspring, predispose a woman toward breast cancer. However, only 5 percent of women afflicted with breast cancer carry the breast cancer genes. The BRCA1 gene is more common among women diagnosed with malignant tumor in the breast at an early age.

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top