Are you at High Risk for Breast Cancer?

By now, many people are aware that having a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene increases the risk of getting breast cancer. What about other factors that increase risk?

There are a number of things to consider, some of which we have control over and some of which we don’t.

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Factors that are in the realm of our control

• diet
• exercise
• alcohol intake
• weight control
• some environmental factors
• lifestyle choices
• taking certain drugs (such as post menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• some reproductive decisions

Factors outside of our control

• age
• race
• gender
• age of 1^st period
• dense breast tissue
• family history of breast cancer
• prior exposure to certain drugs (such as DES)
• having had previous chest radiation (such as for the treatment of Hodgkin Disease or Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma)
• having had “abnormal cells” on a previous breast biopsy
• having an inherited genetic mutation (such as in BRCA or in another cancer susceptibility gene)

Should you be evaluated further?

Of the many factors that increase breast cancer risk, a few stand out and increase risk enough to warrant a more in-depth evaluation. If you have any of the following you would benefit from Cancer Risk Assessment:

• a family history of breast cancer
• a previous breast biopsy showing “abnormal” cells
• previous chest wall radiation (e.g. – mantle) prior to age 30
• a personal or family history suggestive of an inherited genetic mutation or a previously identified mutation is the family (such as in the BRCA genes or other cancer susceptibility genes)