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WOMEN'S HEALTH/WOMEN'S CANCERS BREAST CANCER

Breast Cancer

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List of Contents
Overview
Risk factors
Staging of Breastcancer
Prognostic Factors

Risk factors
The main risk factor for getting breast cancer is age. The older you are, the greater your risk. In the UK about 80 per cent of women with breast cancer are over 45.
The risk is slightly higher if you:

A majority of women will have one or more risk factors for breast cancer. However, most risks are at such a low level that they only partly explain the high frequency of the disease in the population. Although women cannot alter some of their personal risk factors, maintaining an ideal body weight and reducing alcohol consumption may result in some reduction in breast cancer risk. Early detection, however, provides the best opportunity to reduce your chances of death by this disease.

Hereditary breast cancer
Hereditary breast cancer makes up approximately five per cent of all breast cancer cases. The genes in cells carry the hereditary information that is received from a woman's parents. Several genes have been found to be defective in some breast cancer patients. Relatives of breast cancer patients who carry these defective genes are more likely to develop breast or ovarian cancer.

In breast cancer, the two genes that doctors know about are BRCA1 and BRCA2. If these genes are mutated, there is a stronger than average chance of getting breast cancer. If you are concerned that you may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer because of your family history, your doctor may refer you to a clinic that specialises in such situations.

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