Risk factors associated with breast cancer
Among the risk factors associated with breast cancer are the women being overweight and obesity, increasing age and alcohol and snuff.
Dr. Gerardo Castorena Rojí
There are some risk factors that help identify patients with a higher chance of developing breast cancer than the general population. These factors are:
To be a woman
More than 99.9% of people suffering from breast cancer are women, this due to the full development of the mammary glands combined with the activity of estrogen and progesterone, whose levels are higher in women. The presence of both hormones is also found in men, therefore there is a small percentage that a man can develop breast cancer.
Increasing age
This is a factor in most malignant tumors in people. Most patients with breast cancer are diagnosed between 40 and 60 years in Mexico, based on this it is a fact that as life goes woman's chance of developing breast cancer increases. 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer at some point in your life, this probability is extremely important routine early detection and monthly breast self-examination.
Family history of breast cancer
It has not demonstrated the existence of factors associated heritage with breast cancer. The background can put on alert the doctor are presented in first line relatives (mother, father, siblings and children only) and have been diagnosed with the disease before menopause.
Overweight and obesity
Fat is an important source of estrogen and given the relationship of estrogen with the risk of breast cancer, represents a factor that must be controlled. Healthy is important and maintaining a healthy weight with an ideal for your height and build based on a balanced diet rich in fiber and antioxidants percentage.
Alcohol and snuff
It is estimated that consumption of 3 ounces of alcohol per week increases the risk of breast cancer because when alcohol is consumed new substances are metabolized that the body can not completely eliminate immediately. Smoking is not the most important in the development of this disease trigger, as it is for example in lung cancer, but has been linked to increased risk.
Remember that more than 2/3 of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors and stress the importance of annual screening, consisting of self-exploration, an annual visit to the specialist and imaging studies necessary.