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Breast Cancer Decreasing Risks
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While breast cancer is a terrible
disease that can strike with little provocation, there are some ways
in which you can decrease your risk factors for becoming afflicted.
Some risk factors are unchangeable, but it is helpful to know them
nonetheless so that you can fully understand the chance you have of
getting breast cancer.
Unfortunately, many of the factors that relate to breast cancer are
unchangeable. However, if you are familiar with these risks, you can
pay more close attention to your body and ensure that you catch any
problems before they develop into bigger issues. |
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Gender denotes one of the leading risk factors
when it comes to breast cancer. Women run a far greater risk of getting
breast cancer; this is not due to the fact that they have more breast cells,
but instead because their breast cells are commonly exposed to the women
hormones estrogen and progesterone, which may cause the breast cells to
abnormally grow and form cancerous entities. Age is another leading,
unchangeable risk factor for breast cancer. The risk for breast cancer grows
as you age, with roughly eighteen percent of all breast cancer diagnoses
occurring in women in their forties and a full seventy seven percent of all
cases being diagnosed in women older than fifty. Hereditary is another
factor that cannot be changed when it comes to a risk of breast cancer.
Approximately five to ten percent of all breast cancer cases are hereditary,
due to changes in genes. If you have two or more relatives that have breast
or ovarian cancer, you are considered to be at a heightened risk for breast
cancer. In addition, your own history with breast cancer plays into your
risk for developing a new case. Women who have experienced breast cancer are
three to four times as likely to develop another case of it.
Fortunately, there
are some factors in relation to breast cancer that can be changed in your
life style. One reason that women may develop breast cancer is a lack of
children. Women who have no children, or who had their first child at age 30
or later face a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer. Use of
birth control pills is another reason that women may face a heightened risk.
The use of alcohol is a clear-cut
reason for an increased chance of breast cancer.
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Women who drink two
to five alcoholic beverages per day face a fifty percent increase in
risk of breast cancer. Obesity is another factor that can play into
a risk of breast cancer. High fat diets also contribute to a higher
risk.
If you can change some of these
factors, you stand a better chance of not becoming a victim to this
terrible and often deadly disease. Remember that early detection is
key – if you seem to have a number of these risk factors, it is
important to regularly be screened for breast cancer via a
mammogram. Your health is your own responsibility, and you owe it to
your body to keep safe. |
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