Causes Of Breast Cancer

Causes of breast cancer

Causes Of Breast Cancer

Cancer is caused by the uncontrolled division of the cells in the certain area of the body and sometimes spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood. There are no exact causes found yet but research is continuing. Women are considered at high risk of breast cancer. Only 1% of all cancers deaths are seen in men. 

Causes Of Breast Cancer

The risk of breast cancer increases with age. Generally women over 50 are more prone to this disease than younger women. Especially African-American women are more likely to get this disease than white-skinned women. Normally cancer is caused due to some errors (mutations) in the cells.


 Here are some of the main Causes of breast cancer:

Chemical Causes: 

DNA Mutations

DNA mutations (Changes in DNA) can cause breast cancer. DNA is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that makes up our genes. Some DNA mutations can lead the risk for developing cancer. The tumor suppressor genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, they suppress cancer from forming but if they are mutated then they are unable to suppress the cells from replicating so cancer is more likely to develop. However, most of the cancer causing DNA are not been identified so far.


Gender/Age:

Causes Of Breast Cancer Gender/Age

Being a woman is the greatest risk of possessing breast cancer because it occurs mostly in women, and being older is another risk factor of bearing this disease. However breast cancer can occur at any age but it is more prone as the age increases. As the data collected below it is found that the rate of breast cancer increases as increase in age.

     Average Age                         Risk Rate                            Total Population
         30yrs                                    One chance                                  280 people
         40yrs                                    One chance                                  70 people
         50yrs                                    One chance                                  40 people


Family history:

Causes Of Breast Cancer Family History

A woman who already had a history of benign cancer in her one breast is three-four times more prone to breast cancer on her both breasts. First-degree relatives like mother, sister if had a breast cancer and if more than one first degree relatives have had this disease before than the woman is at a high risk of developing this disease. If the second-degree relatives like grandmother, aunt with breast cancer also increases the risk of developing breast cancer. If the relative's cancer was found before menopause and involved both breasts increases the risk rate to 4 to 5 times.


Genetic Cause/Hereditary:

Breast Cancer Genetic Cause

Genes are also linked to breast cancer. Certain genes are changed (mutations) as a result of which cause abnormalities and thus passed along in families. It is been found that about 10% of all breast cancers are hereditary. The two genes are found so far which can increase the risk, BRCA1 and BRCA2. If these two genes are inherited then there is 90% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

Causes Of Breast Cancer-Hereditary

 The woman with these abnormal genes is more likely to acquire both ovarian as well as breast cancer. The woman who inherited BRCA1 gene can have breast cancer at her early age. There are other genes which are related to breast cancer such as p53, AT, the GADD repair group, the RB suppressor gene, and the HER-2/neu oncogene.


Hormonal:

Causes Of Breast Cancer-Hormonal

Breast cancer risk is increased in women with the longest known exposures to sex hormones, particularly estrogen which rises and falls during her lifetime.


Some of the factors which influence the developing risk of breast cancer are: 

The age she starts and stops menstruating:

The right age of a girl for her first periods is after 12 but if she starts menstruating before age 12, she is more likely to have breast cancer. A women’s risk for breast cancer increased if she had her first menstruation before age 12. The average age for a woman to stop menstruation is 48-52years but if a woman stops menstruating after 55, there is a high chance of developing breast cancer.

The average length during periods:

The average length during a menstrual cycle is of 26-29 days. If menstrual cycle occurs before 26days and after 29days it could lead to breast cancer.

Her age at first childbirth:

The woman who give birth her first child after age of 30yrs may have breast cancer. This disease is more likely to be occurring in Nulliparous women. Use of birth control pills (the 'Pill;' oral contraceptives - 'OCs') can also increase the disease. The Pill's exact hazards are difficult to assess, because it seems that the risk disappears in women who have not used oral contraceptives for more than 10 years.

Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) is used by many women to reduce the symptoms of menopause. But some of the studies say that continuous use of ERT may cause breast cancer. Breast cancer risk can increase in those women who are taking estrogen or estrogen plus progestin.



Environmental Causes:

Breast cancer risk can increase to those persons who are using radiation treatment for a long time. Women using radiation therapy for a long time before age of 30yrs is at a high risk of breast cancer than the general population. Japanese women, at low risk for breast cancer while in Japan, increase their risk of developing breast cancer after coming to the United States. This could be due to environmental influence.

Dietary Causes:

Causes Of Breast Cancer-Dietary 

Dietary Causes

The intake of fat in your diet may lead breast cancer. It occur more frequently in countries with high dietary intake of fat, and being overweight or obese is a known risk factor for breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women. The use of alcohol is another risk factor for the development of breast cancer.