Breast Cancer

Part II

I was quite busy in these few days. Any way, it’s time to continue on this topic.

Risk that cannot change
Menstrual periods:
Woman who started menstruating at an early age (before age 12) or who went through menopause at a late age (after age 55) have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.

Genetics:
Women who inherited mutated BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes have 50-80% chance of developing breast cancer over a lifetime. However, this genetic abnormality only accounts for approximately 5% of all women with breast cancer.

CHEK-2 gene increases breast cancer risk about twofold when it is mutated. The risk is greatly increased in women who carry the CHEK-2 mutation and have a strong family history of breast cancer.

Previous chest radiation:
Children or young adults who had radiation therapy to the chest area as treatment for another cancer have higher risk of developing breast cancer when they grow up.