{"id":2416,"date":"2023-10-09T22:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-10T05:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/?p=2416"},"modified":"2023-11-14T23:52:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T07:52:59","slug":"understanding-breast-cancer-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medicineshoppecourtenay.ca\/understanding-breast-cancer-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Breast Cancer Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Janice Harvey, RPh, CDE<\/p>\n

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer. When the numbers of breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers are combined, they make up almost half of all cancer diagnoses.<\/p>\n

Every year, almost 28,000 Canadians are diagnosed with breast cancer. In BC, in 2020 (the last year for which we have statistics), 750 people were diagnosed with breast cancer. All of those were female. (1) Breast cancer in men accounts for less than 1% of all breast cancers. (2)<\/p>\n

What are the risk factors?<\/h4>\n

Most breast cancers occur in women, since their breast cells are exposed to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone, which have been shown to encourage cancer growth. Risk increases with age. Over 80% of new breast cancers diagnosed each year in BC are in women age 50 or older. Breast cancer may even develop in individuals who don\u2019t have any of the risk factors.<\/p>\n

Some examples of factors that have been shown to increase risk include a personal or family history of breast and other cancers, dense breast tissue, and reproductive history (e.g., early menstruation, late menopause, and late pregnancy or no pregnancies) that increases the length of time that breast tissue has been exposed to estrogen. Please visit the Canadian Cancer Agency website<\/a> for more information about these and other risk factors. (2)<\/p>\n

Women are often concerned about the increased risk for breast cancer when taking combined hormone replacement therapy (estrogen plus progestin) for menopausal symptoms. Indeed, the risk is greater when taking oral HRT medications for 5 years or longer, and researchers believe that the risks of long-term use outweigh the benefits. Risks can be minimized by using topical products that contain estrogen alone (e.g., vaginal estrogen).<\/p>\n

Despite social media claims to the contrary, there is no<\/u> connection between antiperspirants, deodorants, abortion, breast implants, or bras and breast cancer. For example, breast implants can make it more difficult to visualize cancer on a mammogram, but they do not increase the risk of developing breast cancer. (2)<\/p>\n

Can the risk be reduced?<\/h4>\n

While you can\u2019t change your genetics, there are lifestyle changes that you can make to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of develop breast cancer:<\/p>\n