Wellness Hub

Breast cancer prevention is defined as the combination of measures taken to reduce the chance of getting breast cancer. It’s an individual effort with a collective impact: preventing cancer lowers the number of new cases in a group or population. The statistics decrease.

The goal is to have people be healthier, but also to reduce the burden of cancer and lower the number of cancer‑related deaths.

Our genes, lifestyle, and environment work together to increase or decrease the risk of cancer. A person’s risk is made up of a combination of these factors.

Prevention means reducing these risk factors, wherever possible. Some types of cancer are related to genetic mutations that are sometimes found in family groups (inherited from parents). These cancers cannot be prevented, but you can find out if you have this risk, and this knowledge can aid in prevention.

Some of the risk factors a person can modify are:

Smoking. Quitting the habit is the best start.
A diet high in calories and processed foods. Replace this diet with a healthy diet made up of fresh foods, fruits, and vegetables, and limit alcohol consumption.
Sedentary lifestyle. Whether it’s exercise, walking, or dancing, any movement helps decrease your risk.

It should be clarified that avoiding risk factors and increasing protective factors can reduce your risk, but that does not mean that you will not get cancer. No one can eliminate their risk. But the more protective factors you have, the lower your risk.

Scientists are also studying other ways to prevent cancer, including:

Taking medications to treat precancerous conditions or prevent cancer from developing.
Getting a risk‑reducing surgery. When it comes to breast cancer, some women who have genetic mutations that put them at higher risk decide to get a
preventive mastectomy.

Some breast cancer risk factors are not modifiable, including:

Older age
Personal history of breast cancer or benign breast disease
Inherited risk of breast cancer (genes)
Dense breast tissue
Reproductive history resulting in greater exposure to estrogen

It is unclear whether the following factors affect the risk of breast cancer:

Hormonal contraceptives
Chemical substances in the environment

Age is the most critical risk factor for breast cancer. The likelihood of developing breast cancer increases with age. A 30‑year‑old woman has about a 1 in 175 chance of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in the next 10 years, whereas a 70‑year‑old woman has a 1 in 9 chance of developing the disease during the same period.

Women ages 50 to 69 years who get screening mammograms are less likely to die from breast cancer than women who do not get them. Screening mammograms reduce deaths from breast cancer by identifying cases so they can be treated at an earlier stage.

Other important risk factors are:

Dense breast tissue. Having dense breast tissue on a mammogram is a risk factor for breast cancer. The level of risk depends on how dense the breast tissue is. Women with very dense breasts have a greater risk of breast cancer than women with low‑density breasts.

Dense breasts are usually inherited, but they can also be seen in women who have not had children, had their first pregnancy later in life, take postmenopausal hormones, or drink alcohol.

Early menstruation. Beginning menstruation before age 12 increases the number of years that the breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.

Late menopause. The more years a woman menstruates, the longer her breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.

Birth of first child at an older age or never having given birth. Pregnancy reduces the number of menstrual cycles throughout a woman’s life. Breast tissue is exposed to more estrogen during more prolonged periods in women.

The use of tamoxifen and raloxifene to reduce breast cancer risk should be discussed with your doctor.

Sources: National Cancer Institute, breastcancer.org, cancer.org.