Sunday, 20 April 2014

Risk factors you cannot change

Risk factors you cannot change

Gender

Simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Men can develop breast cancer, but this disease is about 100 times more common among women than men. This is probably because men have less of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which can promote  cancer cell growth.

Aging

Your risk of developing  cancer increases as you get older. About 1 out of 8 invasive breast cancers are found in women younger than 45, while about 2 of 3 invasive breast cancers are found in women age 55 or older.

Genetic risk factors

About 5% to 10% of  cancer cases are thought to be hereditary, meaning that they result directly from gene defects (called mutations) inherited from a parent.

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