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Breast cancer
The breast consists mainly of fatty connective tissue, milk-producing glands and ducts that carry milk from the glands to the nipple. Breast tissue naturally develops in response to hormones at different stages of life – in particular, puberty, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Breast cancers almost always develop in the glands or ducts that produce milk and carry it to the nipple. Cancers develop as a result of damaged cells, which can grow uncontrollably to form a lump or thickening called a tumour.
Many different factors contribute to the development of breast cancer, and hormones (particularly oestrogen) often play an important role. This means that life events that affect our hormone levels, such as having children, can also alter our cancer risk.
There are also important risk factors that we can influence, such as our everyday diet and lifestyle choices.
Who is most at risk of breast cancer?
Due to better treatment and earlier detection, breast cancer survival rates are higher than ever before. It is, however, the most common cancer to affect women in the UK and the number of cases is rising. Around 300 men also develop breast cancer each year.
As with all cancers, the risk of developing breast cancer depends on a number of factors and varies from person to person. For example, not having children, or having a late first pregnancy (over age 30), increases breast cancer risk – both these events affect hormone levels in the body.
Only around four to nine per cent of breast cancer cases are hereditary, and many of the factors that increase our chances of developing the disease are linked to our lifestyle.
Scientists estimate that about 42 per cent of breast cancer cases in the UK could be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active and not drinking alcohol
Related publications:
Lifestyle risk factors
- Drinking alcohol
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activity
- Not breastfeeding when you have a baby
Other risk factors
- Age – your risk increases as you get older
- Starting your periods at a younger age (before age 12)
- Late menopause (over age 55)
- Family history – particularly a close relative diagnosed before age 50
- Taking HRT – risk continues to increase slightly the longer you take HRT but decreases gradually once you stop
- The contraceptive pill – breast cancer risk increases slightly when taking the pill, but slowly returns to normal after you stop
The evidence is convincing that being tall as an adult can increase postmenopausal breast cancer risk, and it probably also increases the risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer. A greater birth weight also probably increases the risk of premenopausal breast cancer.
If any of these apply to you, it does not mean that you will develop breast cancer – it just means that your risk may be higher than average.
The important thing to remember is that you can make healthy diet and physical activity choices at any age to help reduce your risk.
Reducing your risk of breast cancer
Our Second Expert Report found that there are steps we can take to reduce our risk of breast cancer. Find out more about the key things you can do:
There is strong evidence that alcoholic drinks are a risk factor for breast cancer and this is one of the reasons why women should limit the amount of alcohol they drink and have no more than one drink a day.
Strong research shows that being overweight or obese increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer – the most common type. The evidence also shows that being overweight probably decreases risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, but this is the less common type of breast cancer. This means that being overweight increases your overall risk of breast cancer
As well as helping you avoid weight gain, physical activity plays an important role in balancing your hormone levels, so it can directly reduce breast cancer risk.
A healthy, balanced diet provides essential nutrients as well as helping you maintain a healthy weight.
Strong evidence shows that breastfeeding protects mothers against breast cancer and babies from excess weight gain.
Being breast aware
Breast awareness means being familiar with the normal look and feel of your breasts so that you are able to spot any irregular changes early on. Download our breast awareness shower card to find out more.
What about screening?
The good news is that most breast cancer cases can be successfully treated if they are detected early – that's why it is important to attend NHS breast screening whenever you are invited.
Related links:
Related articles:
Biggest ever review: how breast cancer can be prevented
20,000 breast cancer cases a year could be prevented
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