MIDTERM ASSIGNMENT NO.

1 MAMMOGRAPHY
Discuss the following risk factors of breast cancer.
A. Age (Greater than 50)
The risk for breast cancer increases with age; most breast cancers are
diagnosed after age 50. About 80% of women diagnosed with breast cancer
each year are ages 45 or older, and about 43% are ages 65 or above. Consider
this: In women ages 40 to 50, there is a one in 68 risk of developing breast
cancer. From ages 50 to 60, that risk increases to one in 42. In the 60 to 70
age group, the risk is one in 28. In women ages 70 and older, one in 26 is at
risk of developing the disease.
B. Familial BRCA1/ BRCA2 Mutation Carrier
People who inherit harmful variants in one of these genes have increased
risks of several cancers—most notably breast and ovarian cancer, but also
several additional types of cancer. People who have inherited a harmful variant
in BRCA1 and BRCA2 also tend to develop cancer at younger ages than people
who do not have such a variant. A harmful variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2 can be
inherited from either parent. Each child of a parent who carries any mutation
in one of these genes has a 50% chance (or 1 in 2 chance) of inheriting the
mutation. Inherited mutations—also called germline mutations or variants—
are present from birth in all cells in the body.
C. Exposure to ionizing radiation
Exposure to ionizing radiation is the best-established and longest-
established environmental cause of human breast cancer in both men and
women. Most scientists agree that no safe dose of radiation has been identified.
Moderate to high-dose radiotherapy is known to increase the risk of breast
cancer. Uncertainties remain about the effects of low-dose chest X-rays,
particularly in individuals at increased genetic risk.
D. First childbirth after age 30 or nulliparity
Women who haven't had a full-term pregnancy or have their first child
after age 30 have a higher risk of breast cancer compared to women who gave
birth before age 30. When breast cells are made in adolescence, they are
immature and very active until your first full-term pregnancy. The immature
breast cells respond to the hormone estrogen as well as hormone-disrupting
chemicals in products. Your first full-term pregnancy makes the breast cells
fully mature and grow in a more regular way. This is the main reason why
pregnancy helps protect against breast cancer. Being pregnant also reduces
your total number of lifetime menstrual cycles -- which may be another reason
why earlier pregnancy seems to offer a protective effect. Nulliparous women
have a 20%–40% higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer than parous
women who first gave birth before age 25
E. History of breast cancer (In the family)
A woman’s risk for breast cancer is higher if she has a mother, sister, or
daughter (first-degree relative) or multiple family members on either her
mother’s or father’s side of the family who have had breast or ovarian cancer.
Having a first-degree male relative with breast cancer also raises a woman’s
risk.
F. Hormone
Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both
estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise risk for breast
cancer when taken for more than five years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth
control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
G. Obesity
Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting
breast cancer than those at a normal weight. Being overweight (especially in
the waist), with excess caloric and fat intake, increases your risk, especially
after menopause.