breast cancer information
In India, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer in females especially so in urban areas. 1 in 22 women in India are diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer has a low survival rate of 66% in India as compared to 90% in the US. This is due to low screening rate and shame of mutilating surgery. Death rates in US are high and second only to Lung cancer
About 1 in 8 US women will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 883.
Risk of Breast cancer- Double if first degree relative (mother/sister/daughter) has been diagnosed
- Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes inherited from mother or father
- MiMutations in genes as a result of ageing where there is no family historylk
Female Sex
A women's breast has fat and glandular element. The cells are very responsive to estrogen and other hormones. Men's breast cells are inactive and mostly fat. Most men have very low levels of estrogen
That is the reason breast cancer is much more common in women
Age
The risk of breast cancer goes up with advancing age. Invasive breast cancers are more common in women 55 or older.
Family history
The risk increases in women whose close relatives are diagnosed with cancer
GeneticsDue to inherited abnormal genes. Everyone has BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Their function is to repair cell damage and keep cell lines growing normally. But when the genes undergoes mutation(gene is altered) they don’t function normally and hence increase cancer risk.
Also cancer in one breast increases likelihood of new cancer in another part of the same breast or the other breast (different from recurrence of original cancer)
Radiation HistoryRadiation to the chest to treat another cancer like Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is associated with a higher-than-average risk of breast cancer.Read More
Some benign (not cancerous) breast conditions, can double the risk of breast cancer. These are
Overweight and obese women have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight, especially after menopause. Being overweight also can increase the risk of the breast cancer coming back (recurrence) in women who have had the disease
This higher risk is because more fat cells will make estrogen. Estrogen can make hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers develop and grow.
Pregnancy HistoryBreastfeeding can lower breast cancer risk, especially if a woman breastfeeds for longer than 1 year. There are several reasons why breastfeeding protects breast health
making milk 24/7 limits breast cells' ability to misbehave
HRT (Hormone Replacement therapy)
Current or recent past users of hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Combination HRT also increases the likelihood that the cancer may be found at a more advanced stage, as well as increasing the risk that a woman diagnosed with breast cancer will die from the disease. Estrogen-only HRT also can increase the risk of ovarian cancer.
AlcoholDrinking alcoholic beverages increases a woman's risk of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer because alcohol can increase
Dense breasts have less fatty tissue and more non-fatty tissue compared to breasts that aren't dense. Dense breasts have more gland tissue that makes and drains milk and supportive tissue (also called stroma) that surrounds the gland
Research has shown that dense breasts have higher risk of developing cancer
They can make it harder for mammograms to detect breast cancer; breast cancers (which look white like breast gland tissue) are easier to see on a mammogram when they're surrounded by fatty tissue (which looks dark)
Lack of ExerciseRegular moderate to intense level exercise lowers risk of breast cancer. Exercise consumes and controls blood sugar and limits blood levels of insulin growth factor, a hormone that can affect how breast cells grow and behave. People who exercise regularly tend to be healthier and are more likely to maintain a healthy weight and have little or no excess fat compared to people who don't exercise.
Fat cells make estrogen and extra fat cells make extra estrogen. When breast cells are exposed to extra estrogen over time, the risk of developing breast cancer is higher.
Smoking
Smoking causes a number of diseases and is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer in younger, premenopausal women. Research also has shown that there may be link between very heavy second-hand smoke exposure and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women.
Smoking also can increase complications from breast cancer treatment, including :
Newer emerging risks
Vitamin D may play a role in controlling normal breast cell growth and may be able to stop breast cancer cells from growing.
Diet is thought to be at least partly responsible for about 30% to 40% of all cancers. No food or diet can prevent you from getting breast cancer. But some foods can make your body the healthiest it can be, boost your immune system, and help keep your risk for breast cancer as low as possible.
Research strongly suggests that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in cosmetics may contribute to the development of cancer in people.
Pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones used on crops and livestock may cause health problems in people, including an increase in breast cancer risk. There are also concerns about mercury in seafood and industrial chemicals in food and food packaging.
Research strongly suggests that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in lawn and garden products may cause cancer in people. But because the products are diverse combinations of chemicals, it's difficult to show a definite cause and effect for any specific chemical
Research strongly suggests that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in plastic products, such as bisphenol A (BPA), may cause cancer in people.
While chemicals can protect us from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, research strongly suggests that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in some sunscreen products may cause cancer in people.
Research has shown that the water you drink -- whether it’s from your home filter or water from a store -- may not always be as safe as it could be.
Research has shown that women who ate a lot of grilled, barbecued, and smoked meats and very few fruits and vegetables had a higher risk of breast cancer compared to women who didn't eat a lot of grilled meats.