What factors are known to cause or influence the risk of breast cancer?
There are several factors that cause breast cancer (either by initiation or promotion) or increase a woman’s tendency toward it (eg, having a strong family history of breast cancer). The following list includes most of the known risk factors and/or causes of breast cancer: Note: Often people get confused with the concept of “increased risk.” If a particular risk factor increases the risk of getting breast cancer for a group of women by 50%, it does not mean that 50% of that group of women will get breast cancer. It means that the group of women in question will have a 50% higher incidence of getting breast cancer than the general population. If the general population of women in the U.S. has a lifetime breast cancer risk of 12.5%, a 50% increased risk would mean that the affected group would have an 18.75% overall lifetime risk. A 100% increased risk would mean a 25% lifetime risk.
