Staying on Top of Breast Cancer Risk Factors

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in the US. More than 4 million women are currently living as survivors or patients with breast cancer, and 1 out of 8 will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer sometime during their lifetime. Advances in early detection and treatment have improved survival rates, with more than 90% surviving 5 years after diagnosis.

Despite improved outcomes, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing, with more than 300,000 new cases expected this year. Examples of risk factors for developing breast cancer include increasing age, family history of breast cancer, and lifestyle factors, such as physical inactivity and alcohol consumption. Strategies that increase women’s awareness of their risk factors can help inform their health decisions.

How to Manage Breast Cancer Risk

Document your family history

A family history of breast cancer among two or more first-degree relatives, which includes mother, sisters, and daughters, increases risk. Maintaining a comprehensive record of family health history to the maximum extent possible can improve awareness of risk.

A comprehensive family health history can include all chronic diseases, including cancers, among first-degree relatives, and, ideally, second- and third-degree relatives as well. Documenting all chronic diseases will help ensure that co-occurring conditions that increase the risk of breast cancer are identified.

Online tools are freely available to develop family health history documents, which can continuously be updated and shared confidentially with family and health providers when you choose to do so. While women’s health histories are not discussed openly in all families or cultures, asking questions and co-developing these records with loved ones could be valuable for you and future generations of women in your family.

Stay up to date with health checks and screening

Ensuring that all women can access annual preventive care that includes breast cancer screening is essential. Informed by your personal and family history, discuss concerns and risk factors with your health provider at annual preventive care visits as a part of shared decision making.

Breast cancer screening guidelines and recommendations are available from several national sources, including the American Cancer Society and US Preventive Services Task Force. Your provider can advise about regular screening actions, taking into account these guidelines and your specific risk factors.

Screening mammogram reports will provide information about your breast density, which also influences risk and should be discussed with your provider. The American Cancer Society National Breast Cancer Roundtable provides freely available resources, including risk assessment tools and educational materials, which can further inform conversations with your provider.

Manage modifiable risk factors

Modifiable risk factors are behaviors or practices that can be changed. Physical inactivity, obesity, and alcohol use are examples of modifiable risk factors. Physical inactivity and obesity are potential risk factors for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Working with your health provider to identify and implement strategies to increase physical activity might reduce risk. While the reasons are not entirely clear, physical activity reduces weight, improves immune function, and reduces estrogen levels, reducing risk. Recommendations suggest 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each week.

In addition to physical inactivity, alcohol, even in small amounts, can increase the risk of breast cancer. As alcohol consumption increases, the risk of breast cancer increases. Potential reasons include increased estrogen, weight gain, and cellular and DNA damage. Women can work with their providers to identify and implement strategies to reduce alcohol consumption. Overall, women can ask their providers about how to integrate a holistic lifestyle medicine approach that simultaneously addresses multiple modifiable risk factors.

Reducing the risk of breast cancer for all women will require health systems and policy changes that address social and structural barriers. Increasing awareness about individual risk factors can help women manage their personal risk of breast cancer in partnership with their provider.