Are You More Likely to Develop Breast Cancer?

Individuals that possess certain risk factors are more likely to develop breast cancer at some point during their lifetime. Having these risk factors in place does not necessitate that they will develop the disease, but it does increase the likelihood that this will happen. There are different risk factors when it comes to developing different types of cancer, which is when the cells of a body reproduce with abnormalities and destroy cells that do not have the same abnormalities. If a person has some of the characteristics that are associated with one type of cancer, this does not mean that they are naturally predisposed to developing every type of cancer. While we are still not sure what exactly it is that generates cancer within a body, we do know about certain things that have been found as common traits within individuals that have had the diseases. By doing the research to determine the common traits, we have been able to generate risk factors. When it comes to breast cancer, there are certain risk factors that have come to light as signs that a person may eventually develop this particular form of cancer. By being aware of these odds, individuals are able to increase their awareness and odds of catching the disease before it is able to do much harm.

Most people who get breast cancer are women. However, there are some men who have been known to get the disease as well. By looking at this, we can assess that women are more at risk than men to get the disease. The cancer is about 100 times more likely to occur in women than in men, but it can still help if men are aware that the possibility does exist for them to develop this problem. Women are taught how to do self breast exams and should perform them monthly. Additionally, breasts are checked approximately twice a year by doctors when women go in for their exams every six months.

As a person gets older, the risk of them developing this form of cancer increases as well. This means that age is a common risk factor for breast cancer. Approximately 78% of women that develop this type of cancer are over the age of 50. However, this still leaves 22% of the cases that have been documented to have been found within the bodies of women under the age of 50. This simply means it is less likely.

Up to 10% of breast cancer cases have been found to have a possible genetic link. This means that there could be some abnormality that is passed from parent to child. If it is known that breast cancer runs in a family, it will be more important that these individuals get checked and screened more often in order to make sure that these individuals catch early signs of the cancer if they do go on to develop it. By being aware of risk factors, individuals can increase their odds of catching the cancer before it has a chance to severely negatively impact their bodies. People who ignore signs or dispositions are the individuals who are most at risk for the cancer to destroy their lives.