Risk factors of breast cancer

www.jamaica-gleaner.com

THE RISK of developing breast cancer should be of concern to women and men alike. There are several risk factors associated with breast cancer. You may be curious to know what a risk factor is. A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of developing diseases such as arthrosclerosis, diabetes and cancers.

Some risk factors, such as age, race and gender, cannot be changed as they are linked to the person. Other risks are linked to cancer-causing factors in the environment. Today, with the increase in lifestyle diseases, several risk factors for cancers are triggered by lifestyle and personal behaviour. These include diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle.

Age

The breast cancer risk factors that you will not be able to change include age, race and gender. As you age, your risk of breast cancer increases. At age 55 and over, two of every three women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, five to 10 per cent of breast cancers are hereditary. The fact that mother or father had the disease increases the likelihood of getting breast cancer. By a process of mutation, genes change and when inherited from a parent the risk of breast cancer increases.

Abnormal genes

The most common inherited mutations are those of the BRCA1 or BRCA 2 genes. These are normally responsible for preventing cancer by making proteins that help the cells from growing abnormally. When these abnormal genes are inherited, they increase the risk of breast cancer in woman at a younger age by 80 per cent compared to those women who are not born with mutated genes.

Persons who are at risk of breast cancer through inheriting mutated genes may be anxious to have genetic testing done. However, it is important to weigh the risks and benefits of genetic testing. Consultations should be done with a genetic counsellor or a qualified doctor before genetic testing is done.

Late pregnancy

Women who have no children or had their first child after age 30 may have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer. Early pregnancy and having multiple children reduces the risk of breast cancer in women.

The debate is on as to whether birth control pills increase the risk of breast cancer. Some studies have shown that the use or oral contraceptives may slightly increase breast cancer risk in women but the risk declines once the use of contraceptives is stopped. You should discuss the use of oral contraceptives and their risk factors for breast cancers with your doctor before you start to use them.

Menopause

Menopause brings changes in hormones and it may be necessary to resort to hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) to help relieve the symptoms associated with menopause and to prevent thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). For women who still have their uterus (womb), a combination of the hormones progesterone and estrogen is usually prescribed. Estrogen alone can increase the risk of uterine cancer so progesterone is combined to reduce this risk. For women who have had a hysterectomy and no longer have a uterus, estrogen alone may be prescribed in what is known as estrogen replacement therapy (ERT).

However, the American Cancer Society reports that large studies have found an increased risk of breast cancer in women on combined postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT). Combined PHT also increases the likelihood of finding the cancer in a more advanced stage, possible because it reduces the effectiveness of mammograms.

Alcohol

Alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer and the risk increases with amount of alcohol consumed. Women who drink two to five alcoholic drinks daily have about one and a half times the breast cancer risk compared with women who drink no alcohol. In addition to cancer of the breast, alcohol consumption is known to increase the risk of cancers in the mouth, throat, esophagus and liver.

An overweight or obese woman increases her risk of breast cancer, especially after menopause when the ovaries stop making estrogen, leaving fat tissues to produce most of the estrogen. With more fat tissue from being overweight, estrogen levels increase as well as the likelihood of breast cancer. It is advisable to maintain a healthy weight throughout the life cycle balancing food intake with physical exercise.

Exercise

It is well established that exercise reduces the breast cancer risk. Studies have shown that as little at 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking will reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer by 18 per cent. It is recommended that to reduce your risk of breast cancer you engage in 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity at least five days a week.

Though not conclusive among researchers, it is strongly believed that fat in the diet increases the risk of breast cancer. It has been found that the incidence of breast cancer is less in countries with a diet low in total fat and saturated fat. Further research is taking place to better understand the effect of the types of fat in the diet and the breast cancer risk. It is recommended that fats from plant sources be consumed and that the diet should include five or more servings of fruit and vegetables each day. Whole grains should be eaten over processed grains and the consumption of processed and red meats should be limited.

Unfounded theories

There are email rumours that underarm antiperspirants may cause breast cancer due to chemicals absorbed through the skin which interfere with lymph circulation causing toxins to build up in the breast and eventually results in breast cancer. Also unfounded, is another email rumour that under wire bras may cause breast cancer by obstructing lymph flow. Silicone breast implants do not pose a cancer risk, but scar tissue may develop in the breasts. Implants make it harder to see breast tissue in mammograms.

A fairly recent finding indicates that women, who work at nights, for example nurses on a night shift, are at greater risk for breast cancer. It is believed that this may be due to a disruption in melatonin, a hormone affected by light.

There is enough conclusive evidence of the risk factors that cause breast cancer. Your responsibility is to check your breasts each month. At the first sign of any abnormality, check with your doctor. A mammogram should be part of your annual medical examination.

7 ways to fight breast cancer

detnews.com

Carolyn Clifford

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is likely that we all will be hearing tips on preventing and treating breast cancer. Since some of the diet data is contradictory, you may not want to change your eating habits based on one study. But here are seven pieces of advice from the American Cancer Society you may want to consider.

1. Limit alcohol consumption. The research shows alcohol increases the risk of several kinds of cancer, including breast cancer. People who drink alcohol should limit consumption to no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. Women at high risk of breast cancer may want to cut out alcohol altogether.
2. Eat more antioxidants. Antioxidant nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids and many other chemicals from plants. Studies show that people who eat more veggies and fruits may have a lower risk for some types of cancer.
3. Don't worry about coffee. While caffeine may heighten symptoms of fibrocystic breast lumps, a type of benign breast disease, there is no evidence it increases the risk of breast cancer.
4. Get your folate. Folate is a B vitamin found in many vegetables, beans, fruits, whole grains and fortified cereals. Since 1998, all grain products in the United States have been fortified with folate. Women who don't get enough folate may have an increased risk for breast cancer, especially if they drink alcohol.
5. Eat to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women. So avoiding excessive weight gain also to reduces the risk of other chronic diseases.
6. Use soy in moderation. Soy has been shown to protect against hormone-dependent cancers in animal studies. But high doses of soy could possibly increase the risk of estrogen-responsive cancers, such as breast cancer.
7. Don't smoke. Yes, I know, tobacco isn't food. But avoiding it is so important I just had to add it to the list.

Five Myths About Breast Cancer and Why You Shouldn't Believe Them

Five Myths About Breast Cancer and Why You Shouldn't Believe Them

www.foxnews.com

We’ve all heard the wives’ tales. Deodorant will give you breast cancer and so do microwaves and tight-fitting bras.

Alas, all of these tales are fictitious. And, unfortunately, there are a lot of other seemingly believable myths on breast cancer floating around, say doctors.

Many women, for example, have been told that women under the age of 40 should be getting mammograms and it’s the greedy insurance industry that is preventing them from doing so.

Mammograms, however, are ineffective for most young women, which is the real reason why they are discouraged from getting them, said Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women & Families.

“Young women’s breasts are dense and if they get mammograms, their breasts show up very white on mammograms and cancer shows up as white,” she said. “But, as women get older, their breasts are less dense and show up gray on a mammogram, which makes it easy to identify the white cancer. If there is a family history, and women are worried, they can start earlier and in this case a digital mammography may work better than a traditional mammography.”

Here are five other myths about breast cancer:

— There’s no history of breast cancer in my family so I won’t get it.

“That’s not true,” said Dr. Marisa Weiss, an oncologist and the president of breastcancer.org. Although women with a family history are at a higher risk for the disease, environmental factors, drinking, smoking, medication and diet can all influence a woman’s chances of getting breast cancer.

Knowing the history of breast cancer on both sides of your family is also important. Just because a woman doesn’t have a history of breast cancer on her mother’s side, doesn’t mean she’s at a decreased risk. A paternal family history of breast cancer also increases a woman’s chances of getting it.

— I have breast cancer, so I have to get a mastectomy if I want to stop the spread and prevent the cancer from coming back.

Very few women diagnosed with breast cancer actually need a mastectomy, said Zuckerman. “In fact, most of the women who get mastectomies don’t need them,” she said. “And for women to lose their breasts, in addition to the normal emotional turmoil that they go through having breast cancer, is harmful emotionally and physically.”

Specifically, Zuckerman said that about 75 percent of the women who get breast cancer each year will not need mastectomies. Many women with stages 0, 1, or 2 breast cancer respond well to treatment that includes a lumpectomy, chemotherapy or a combination of both, she added.

— Young women are just as likely to get breast cancer as older women.

Both Weiss and Zuckerman agree that this also is not true. Women older than 50 are most at risk for this disease, explained Zuckerman. “Breast cancer in women younger than 30 is so rare, and this is one of the things that concerns me,” she said. “I think the media focuses on young women, because it’s so shocking when someone in their 20’s gets cancer. But what you end up with, are women in their 20’s and 30’s who are terrified that they're going to get cancer and women in their 50’s who think they don’t need to worry about it, when the opposite is true."

Of the nearly 200,000 women who will get breast cancer next year, half will be over the age of 61, said Weiss. About 25,000 women will be under the age of 40. “It’s still a significant number, but when you compare it to the overall number of women who get breast cancer, it’s a small percentage,” she said.

— Breast cancer is fatal.

“Breast cancer is not fatal in and of itself,” said Zuckerman. “What makes it fatal is if it goes into other parts of the body and gets into the lymph nodes, lungs and other organs,” she said. “Also if it gets into the blood or the bones, it can kill a person. That’s the risk of metastasized cancer. That means it has spread and once it hits the lymph nodes, it can become out of control.” Zuckerman said early detection is the best way to prevent cancer from spreading.

— Men don’t get breast cancer.

“This is certainly not true,” said Weiss. “Men do get it.” The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,030 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men this year and about 450 men will die after getting the disease. Still, breast cancer is about 100 times more common in women and women whose fathers are diagnosed with breast cancer are at an increased risk for the disease just as they would be if their mothers are diagnosed with it, added Weiss.

7 ways to fight breast cancer