There is no simple formula that predicts whether someone will develop breast cancer. If only it were that easy. In general, 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer. Fortunately, a lot of research is being done on this disease and its treatment – as well as its causes. Speaking of the causes of breast cancer: let’s take a look at what risk factors can be for breast cancer.
The causes of breast cancer: these are the risk factors
Before we come up with a list of causes, points out nurse specialist Victoria Skinner of the Netherlands Cancer Institute reminds us that breast cancer has ‘multifactorial causes’. So you don’t get a certain type of breast cancer from one cause. However, there are risk factors that increase the risk of breast cancer. We walk past them.
Overweight, alcohol and smoking
Overweight, drink alcohol regularly in smoking are risk factors for breast cancer. If you are overweight, the fat tissue in your body will start producing the hormone estrogen after menopause. The more fat tissue, the more estrogen. This increases the risk of breast cancer. Alcohol puts you at increased risk of benign breast conditions, some of which increase the risk of breast cancer. Do you smoke and drink alcohol regularly? Then the risk of breast cancer is even higher. Not such a bad idea to skip drinks and cigarettes.
Increase in hormones
Hormones and breast cancer have a lot to do with each other. Skinner explains this: “Mammary gland tissue is influenced by your hormone cycle. From the moment you get your period as a girl, you get a surge of estrogen – which activates glandular tissue. If that happens month after month, year after year, we think that could be a trigger for the cells in the milk ducts to behave abnormally.’
For example, if you add hormonal contraceptives or hormone pills for menopausal complaints to this, you extend the hormonal situation. This therefore affects the activation of your mammary gland tissue. Should you stop taking the pill immediately? No that is not necessary. But it is useful to know that it can be a risk factor.
Fertility
The longer the breasts are exposed to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, the higher the risk of breast cancer. Women who are fertile for a long time therefore have an increased risk of the disease. This therefore applies to women who become pregnant late or not at all. Your ovaries do not produce any hormones during pregnancy. The same applies to the period that you are breastfeeding.
Should we then have many children to prevent breast cancer? No, Skinner replies. “There are many women who have had three or four children and have all breastfed for a year. Unfortunately, they can also get breast cancer.’ So it’s not that simple.
Genetic predisposition
You can sometimes control certain risk factors yourself, unless you have a hereditary predisposition. This is due to an abnormality in a gene, for example the BRCA1 gene or BRCA2 gene. This deviation can be passed on. It does not happen often. 5-10% of women with breast cancer have a hereditary predisposition to the disease. Nevertheless, it is useful to know whether breast cancer occurs in your family – for example through a genetic test.
Very dense mammary gland tissue
Your breasts are made up of fatty tissue and mammary glands. When you have dense mammary gland tissue, you have more mammary glands and less fat. In part, it is hereditary how dense your mammary gland tissue is. Unfortunately, you cannot check yourself whether you have dense mammary gland tissue. Only the specialist can see this during a mammogram (x-ray of the breast).
Deodorant and underwired bras?
You may have heard that using certain deodorants or wearing underwired bras can give you breast cancer. “Those are complete myths,” says Skinner. So you can still put on your favorite deodorant and wear your fine underwired bra. No worries!
Now that you know what the causes of breast cancer can be, we want to emphasize again that they are risk factors. One glass of wine does not give you breast cancer – but structurally drinking too much does increase the risk of this disease. Do you doubt whether you have breast cancer – for example because you feel a lump in the breast? Then it is advisable to schedule an appointment with the doctor.
Bron: kanker.nl, Pink Ribbon, Radboud UMC
2023-09-05 12:34:17
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