Physical activity has a direct effect on breast cancer risk. One Women's Health Initiative study showed that walking as little as one to two and a half hours per week lowered a woman's breast cancer risk by 18 percent. Being physically inactive increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.
While smoking is a risk factor for many types of cancer, it doesn't appear to raise the risk of breast cancer significantly. Oddly, though, breathing secondhand smoke has been linked with an elevated risk of breast cancer. Studies have shown the greatest risk from secondhand smoke is for younger, premenopausal women. This is an area researchers are still trying to understand.
Although the effect of heavy alcohol use on the liver is fairly well known, it's less well known that regular drinking increases breast cancer risk as well. Women who have two to five drinks a day have one and a half times the risk of women who don't drink. Having one alcoholic drink a day raises a woman's risk slightly but not a lot.
Why did you not mention the increased risk due to use of oral contraceptives? One of the deadliest forms of breast cancer, triple negative BRCA is linked to that. Also why did you not mention the increased risk caused by abortion? There are a multitude of studies on this which were suppressed in 2003 by the NCI. Dr. Swinton in January of 2009, reversed her position on the abortion-breast cancer link and now states there is a link.
My mom and sister both have had breast cancer.My mom twice .My sister going through it for second time. If I had known this eleven years ago I would have gotten tested for breast cancer. I myself went through breast cancer once. My doctor told me Ii won't come back after so long. How can she say fhat? I'm not sure on how long between moms that it came back, but my sister had hers the same time as me and now it is back. What are the chances of this happening ? Thank you for letting us know these helpful, interesting and very informing articles.
i did not have my first mamagram till i was 48 or 49 years old n the drs thought they seen something they have me come in every 6 months for checkups on it
All the informatiom very informative!
Thank you
My maternal grandmother died from cancer of the liver. A doctor said it was secondary cancer, which began from breast cancer. My mother died at the age of 82 years, but did NOT have either cancer of the breast or liver. I am now 64, and my daughter is 41, but neither of us have shown any signs of either cancer. What risk do we stand?