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Other Breast Conditions

Breast cancer is the disease many women fear the most. It is the second most common cancer among women, with about 192,000 new cases each year.

While known primarily as a woman’s disease, men also develop breast cancer.

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer occurs when cells in the breast divide and grow without their normal control. Sometimes, cancer cells can spread to nearby tissue or other parts of the body (invasive breast cancer).

What increases the risk of benign breast conditions?

Several factors can increase the risk of benign breast conditions, including:

  • Menopausal hormone therapy
  • A family history of breast cancer or benign breast conditions

 

Risk Factors

Many factors are linked to breast cancer risk. Some factors affect risk a great deal and others by only a small amount. Some risk factors you can’t change. For example, the two most common risk factors for breast cancer, being a woman and getting older, are not things you can change. Other factors you may be able to control. For example, leading a healthy lifestyle may help lower your chances of getting breast cancer.

Age is an established risk factor for breast cancer in both women and men. The older a person is, the more likely she/he is to get breast cancer.
Both your age when you give birth to your first child and the number of children you give birth to affect your breast cancer risk. Women who give birth to their first child at age 35 or younger tend to get a protective benefit from pregnancy. And, in general, the more children a woman has given birth to, the lower her risk of breast cancer tends to be.
Starting menstrual periods at a young age is linked to a small increase in breast cancer risk. For example, women who began their periods before age 12 have about a 20 percent higher breast cancer risk compared to those who began their periods after age 14.
Going through menopause at a later age increases the risk of breast cancer. For example, studies show that women who go through menopause after age 55 have about a 30 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who do so before age 45.
Many studies show that drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. For example, findings show that women who have two to three alcoholic drinks per day have a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer than non-drinkers.
Current or recent use of birth control pills (oral contraceptives) slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. Studies show that while women are taking birth control pills (and shortly thereafter), they have a 20 to 30 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who have never used the pill.
Androgens (such as testosterone) are natural hormones that are important in sexual development. Higher amounts of androgens in the blood may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women.
Estrogens are natural hormones that are important in sexual development and other body functions. Higher amounts of estrogen in the blood are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women after menopause. Researchers are studying a possible link to breast cancer before menopause.
Many studies have shown that women with high bone density have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with low bone density. Studies have found that women with high bone density have about a 60 to 80 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to women with low bone density.
Breast density is a measure used to describe the proportion of the different tissues that make up a woman’s breasts. Breast density compares the area of breast and connective tissue seen on a mammogram to the area of fat. Breast and connective tissue are denser than fat and this difference shows up on a mammogram.

High breast density means there is a greater amount of breast and connective tissue compared to fat.
Low breast density means there is a greater amount of fat compared to breast and connective tissue.
Women with high breast density are four to five times more likely to get breast cancer than women with low breast density.

Breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer, especially in premenopausal (before menopause) women.
Women who get regular exercise (physical activity) may have a lower risk of breast cancer than women who are inactive. Regular exercise appears to lower breast cancer risk by about 10 to 20 percent.
A family history of certain types of cancer can increase your risk of breast cancer. This increased risk may be due to genetic factors, shared lifestyle factors or other family traits.

Having a first-degree relative (male or female) with breast cancer or a first-degree female relative with ovarian cancer increases the risk of breast cancer. Having a first-degree male relative with prostate cancer may also increase the risk of breast cancer.

Studies show that eating vegetables may slightly lower the risk of some breast cancers. Eating fruits may also help lower breast cancer risk.

Carotenoids are natural orange-red food pigments found in fruits and vegetables (like melons, carrots, sweet potatoes and squash). Beta-carotene is an example of a carotenoid.

Studies have found that women with higher blood levels of carotenoids have a reduced risk of breast cancer compared to women with lower levels.

Many studies have that shown taller women have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Benign breast conditions (also known as benign breast diseases) are non-cancerous breast disorders. Some of these conditions increase the risk of breast cancer and others do not. For example, women who have hyperplasia, a type of benign breast condition, have an increased risk of breast cancer.
Menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) is approved for the short-term relief of menopausal symptoms. The main types of MHT are estrogen plus progestin and estrogen alone.

Estrogen plus progestin increases the risk of both developing and dying from breast cancer.

Some studies have shown estrogen alone increases the risk of breast cancer. However, one large study found a decreased risk. (Estrogen alone is only used by women who have had a hysterectomy because it increases the risk of uterine cancer.)

MHT is not usually given to breast cancer survivors because it may increase the risk of recurrence.

Many studies link body weight and weight gain to breast cancer risk.

Overweight and obesity affect risk for pre- and postmenopausal women differently.

Before menopause, being overweight or obese modestly decreases breast cancer risk.
After menopause, being overweight or obese increases breast cancer risk.
Gaining weight in adulthood appears to increase the risk of breast cancer (both before and after menopause).

Breast cancer survivors have a higher risk of getting a new breast cancer compared to women who have never had breast cancer.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a non-invasive breast cancer. DCIS survivors have an increased risk of DCIS in the opposite breast as well as an increased risk of invasive cancer in either breast.

A personal history of Hodgkin’s disease, ovarian cancer and certain other cancers can also increase the risk of breast cancer.

Prolactin is a natural hormone that plays a role in breast growth and the production of milk during breastfeeding. Women with higher blood levels of prolactin may have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with lower levels.
Exposure to large amounts of radiation early in life, such as radiation treatment to the chest area for childhood cancer, increases the risk of breast cancer. For example, women treated with radiation therapy to the chest area for Hodgkin’s at a young age have about three to seven times the risk of breast cancer compared to women with Hodgkin’s disease who were never treated with radiation therapy.

Very low doses of radiation (such as from X-rays and other medical imaging) do not have much, if any, impact on breast cancer risk.

It is always recommended to contact your physician or professional healthcare provider to assess your case and prescribe tests and recommendations accordingly.