Genetics
Doctors are still unclear on exactly what causes breast cancer. However, researchers have isolated two genes that are common in a number of cases where breast cancer runs in the family. It is the alteration (or mutation) of these two genes that increases a person's risk of developing breast cancer. Most of the time, it appears that the mutation is inherited. For women, increased chances of developing breast cancer would be due a mutation of either gene. In men, it is predominantly a mutation of the BRCA2 gene (the other gene is called BRCA1). Having the gene does not mean you will develop breast cancer; it simply means you are more predisposed to it (see Resources below)
Hormones
Hormones can play a role in the chances of developing breast cancer, more so in women than men, since it really relates to estrogen. When a woman goes through menstruation, pregnancy or childbirth, her level of estrogen fluctuates up and down. This hormone is basically telling cells to divide. The more they divide, the more potential there is for this division to create an abnormality in the new cells. Some of these irregular cells could become cancerous. How this affects a woman's chances of developing breast cancer is relates to the length of time she is menstruating, the age she has her first child and the age she goes through menopause. The risk increases when someone is very young when she has her first period, older when she has first child and older when she goes through menopause.
Lifestyle
This cause of breast cancer is highly debatable, but many researchers believe that lifestyle does play a role in the occurrence of breast cancer. According to the American College of Physicians, people (more so women than men) are more likely to develop breast cancer if they eat a diet high in fat. Actually, it has been suggested that lowering your calories from fat to below 30 percent for some and 20 percent for others will greatly reduce your chances of breast cancer. There has also been a suggestion that both obesity and alcohol abuse increase the occurrence of breast cancer.
Tags: breast cancer, developing breast, developing breast cancer, chances developing, chances developing breast, goes through, breast cancer
