It is still not clear how exactly breast cancer or breast carcinoma develops. However, risk factors for breast cancer are known to contribute to cancer growth. Many of these breast cancer-promoting factors are recognizably related to female sex hormones. These include early onset of menstruation, childlessness or older age at first pregnancy (over 30 years), and late onset of menopause. Conversely, multiple births or births at younger ages, as well as longer breastfeeding periods, are considered factors that reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Risk factors and causes in breast cancer
In contrast, ovulation inhibitors such as the pill and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogens and progesterone during menopause are thought to increase the risk for breast cancer. After discontinuation of the hormones, however, the risk of breast cancer is also said to decrease again. Whether a tumor is triggered by the hormones or whether an existing tumor only grows faster as a result of hormone use is still a matter of debate.
In addition, a pronounced mastopathy (change in the mammary gland) with cysts and nodules in the breast tissue can also promote the development of breast cancer (breast carcinoma).
Other possible causes
Other unfavorable factors for breast cancer that may also be causes are:
- Obesity and lack of exercise
- Smoking
- Larger or regular amounts of alcohol
Thus, the daily consumption of ten grams of alcohol already increases the risk of breast cancer by ten percent.
In addition, age probably also plays a role in the development of breast cancer: women who have exceeded the age of 50 possess a significantly higher risk of breast cancer, since errors in cell division become more likely in them.
Diet, on the other hand, does not appear to have any influence on the development of breast cancer, according to the current state of research.
Influence of genes
What is certain is the genetic influence on the development of breast cancer: if diseases have occurred in close relatives (especially in the mother or sister), the risk of developing breast cancer is about two to three times higher than in a woman with no close relatives with the disease. This is true even if the previously known “breast cancer genes” (BRCA, BARD, AKAP) are not detected.
If a woman already has breast cancer in one breast, the risk of developing the disease in the other breast increases. Exactly how much the risk increases depends on the location and type of tumor and the type of treatment, among other factors.
