Breast Cancer Causes

No one can tell for sure what the exact causes of breast cancer are. However, researches and studies have established several risk factors that are linked to this deadly disease. Risk factors are the elements that increase someone’s chances of acquiring an illness like cancer. The different types of cancer have varied risk factors as well. There are certain risk factors that can be modified, although the others are definitely unchangeable. But just because a person has one or several risk factors does not mean that the person will eventually have the disease.

There are women who possess more than one risk factor but never suffered from breast cancer. But, there are also women who are suffering from breast cancer but never had any of the risk factors. Confusing? Indeed. Breast cancer causes continue to be a controversial matter. But since science has not given us concrete answers on the real cause of breast cancer, people are instead made to concentrate on the risk factors associated with breast cancer.

There are a lot of risk factors that are simply fixed. For example, being female makes you highly at risk of breast cancer. Men are not really exempted from getting breast cancer, but they are 100 times less likely to have it than women.

For every 10 breast cancer patients, around 8 of them are women who are 50 years old or above. Both gender and age are not really breast cancer causes, but they are some of the greatest factors that influence the likelihood of getting breast cancer.

Some people blame it all on their genes. But genetic mutations only account about 5% - 10% of all breast cancer cases. Also, while women who belong to families with breast cancer history are twice as prone to suffering from the disease, this does not suggest that it is a definite breast cancer cause.

Other risk factors are controllable. Since breast cancer risk is higher in women who never had any children, or who had one after 30, they can reduce their risks by altering their lifestyle preferences.

Alcohol intake and birth control pills have been tagged as possible breast cancer causes. But so far there were no evidences discovered to support this belief. However, before using any type of birth control pills, it is advisable to consult your doctor about its downsides and benefits. As for alcohol, studies have confirmed that women who have more than 1 drink daily have an increased risk of getting breast cancer.

Obesity is also believed to heighten a woman’s risk of suffering from breast cancer, especially if she gains much of the weight during her adulthood. Moreover, the risk was found to be higher when the waist area contains much of the excess fat.

But even if the relationship between breast cancer and weight is a complex issue, it is still a given fact that being overweight is a risk factor of the other cancer types. Hence, the proper diet and exercise are highly recommended to prevent the onset of cancer in general.

While much debate goes on regarding the role of environmental hazards such as PCB’s and pesticides to breast health, it is clear that these pollutants do not serve to benefit the human body in any way. These may not be direct breast cancer causes but these have been found out to increase the likelihood of a person to suffer from the disease.

Because breast cancer is a very common disease with no definite culprits to blame it on to, women should be more vigilant on those known risk factors. And as always, prevention should always be prioritized more than the cure.