Cekricek.id – It is known that the medical community has no data on breast cancer rates for the transgender community. This is nothing more than discrimination against these people so that related data is often not taken or they do not have adequate medical records.
For years it was thought that transgender women had the same risk of breast cancer as cisgender men, but this contradicts recent data. Where transgender women have been shown to have a higher risk of breast cancer than cisgender men or real men.
Launch sanitary lineHowever, there is still not much definitive information on breast cancer risk in transgender women. However, the results of the Dutch study from 2019 reveal some important data that need to be known.
This study looked for breast cancer cases experienced by transgender people who had or were undergoing hormone therapy at the VU University Medical Center Amsterdam gender clinic in the Netherlands between 1972 and 2016. This medical center was chosen because it is a important public health facility, where over 95% of transgender people in the Netherlands receive treatment there.
The researchers found that transgender women who received hormone therapy had a higher risk of breast cancer than cisgender men. Furthermore, the data from this study also shows that transgender women suffering from breast cancer generally experience it in a younger age group than normal or cisgender women.
The median age of breast cancer diagnosis for transgender women in this study was 52 years. Meanwhile, the average age of breast cancer diagnosis for cisgender women in the Netherlands is 61.
More studies and information are needed, but this research shows that hormone therapy can actually increase the risk of breast cancer for transgender women.
Breast cancer risk factors for transgender women
A number of other factors that are thought to increase breast cancer risk include:
1. Genetics, having a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene increases the risk of breast cancer. Transgender women are thought to be able to inherit this genetic mutation.
2. Family history The family history of breast cancer exposes a person to a greater risk of developing this disease.
3. Age – A person’s risk of developing breast cancer can increase with age.
4. Overweight, obesity can change hormone levels in the body and is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
5. Infrequent activities, an inactive lifestyle can increase the risk of breast cancer.
6. Dense, fibrous breast tissue that is more difficult to read on a mammogram can also increase the risk of breast cancer.
Read also: Can breast cancer affect men? This is the answer
Dense breast tissue often occurs because the breast growth experienced by transgender women due to hormone therapy can be in the form of dense breast tissue.
Also, another risk factor is having had breast cancer before. A transgender person who has a previous history of breast cancer may also increase the risk of getting it again.
