What are the risk factors for breast cancer?
Academic Title: Professor
Director, Jefferson Breast Care Center
Board Certifications:
Surgery
There are a host of risk factors for breast cancer.
The most important risk factor is already having cancer on one side, so women who have been treated for breast cancer on one side have to be careful that they don’t get cancer on the other side or if they have been treated with breast conservations – a lumpectomy – they don’t get a new cancer in the same breast.
One thing that is also brought up a lot is family history. Women are at increased risk if they have had a mother or sister what we call a first degree relative who has had breast cancer.
The greatest risk for having breast cancer is having a BRCA gene mutation.