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Breast Cancer


Some factors such as age and gender cannot be changed, but others are related to the environment, which can be controlled by choice. Simply being a woman increases the risk because it is 100 times more common in women than in men. The risk of getting breast cancer also increases with age. About 77% of women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. A family history of breast cancer can increase your chances of contracting the disease by about 2% to 7%. Recent studies have shown that about 10% of breast cancer cases result from a mutated BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. These genes normally help in preventing cancer cells that grow abnormally, however, over time these genes can mutate, increasing the risk of developing breast cancer. Women who start menstruating at an early age or who go through menopause at a later age have a slightly higher risk (American Cancer Society, 6-8).
             Not all of the lifestyle related factors that are assumed to be linked to breast cancer are proven to increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Oral contraceptives such as birth control pills have been linked to breast cancer in some cases. Women who don't have children or don't have children until after the age of 30 have a slightly higher risk. Alcohol and smoking have an effect on a woman's overall health, which can bring on a higher risk of breast cancer. Alcohol increases the risk about 1.5 times in women who have 2 to 5 drinks a day, where cigarettes don't have a specific link to this disease. Obesity has also had some connection in developing breast cancer. Research shows that the risk increases in women who have been overweight as an adult but not in those who have been overweight since childhood. More recent studies have indicated that strenuous exercise at a young age may provide protection against breast cancer and even the smallest amount of exercise as an adult can reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.


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