Lesser-Known Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women. The causes of breast cancer vary, but understanding the disease and knowing the types, symptoms and risk factors may lead to detecting the disease earlier, thus providing more treatment options.

Risk factors and symptoms

Breast cancer can be broken down into invasive and noninvasive categories. Invasive breast cancers do not remain in the breast tissue; they use the bloodstream or lymph nodes to spread throughout the body. Noninvasive breast cancers remain located in the breast tissue.

Some key risk factors for breast cancer include:

• No pregnancies or pregnancy for the first time after the age of 30
• Family history of breast cancer
• Personal history of breast biopsy
• Menopause beginning after the age of 55
• Obesity
• Aging
• Hormone replacement therapy, common for women going through menopause, which replaces estrogen levels
• Dense breast tissue
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Genetic mutations associated with breast cancer

Common symptoms include:

• Bloody discharge from the nipple
• A lump or lumps in the breast
• Breast pain
• Rapidly enlarging breast lump
• Discoloration and thickening of the skin of the breast
• Enlarged lymph nodes under the arm
• Swelling in the breast
• Newly inverted or flattening of the nipple
• New dimpling in the breast

Screening for breast cancer

Invasive breast cancer impacts 1 in 8 women in the United States. You may be able to detect symptoms by giving yourself regular breast self-exams at home. Self-exams make you more familiar with your breast tissue so you should notice any small changes. While at-home exams are great practice, 80 percent of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is caught by mammograms, as most women do not exhibit symptoms. DCIS is considered the earliest form of breast cancer.

Regular mammograms and breast density ultrasounds are excellent ways to discover cancer growth. The American Cancer Society suggests that starting at age 40, women should have the choice to get annual mammograms after weighing the risks and benefits. Recommended guidelines for mammograms differ slightly among various health organizations.

Types of breast cancer

Here's a rundown of the various types of breast cancer and some of the risk factors and symptoms:

Like all cancers, breast cancer is most successfully treated when discovered early. Knowing risk factors, checking your body and getting regular mammograms based on doctor recommendations are all important habits to maintain if you want to ensure early detection.

• Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS): This noninvasive cancer begins in the milk ducts and typically does not spread. However, women who have DCIS once are at a higher risk of getting it again or developing a new cancer, usually within five to 10 years after DCIS treatment. 
• Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC): This is the most common type of breast cancer. The cancer cells start in the milk ducts and spread to the surrounding breast tissue. It can eventually enter the lymph nodes and spread to other parts of the body.
• Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC): This is a rare cancer that spreads from the milk-producing lobules to the lymph nodes. Unlike DCIS and other breast cancers, invasive lobular carcinoma does not cause hard lumps in the breast tissue.
  • Risk factors:
    • Tends to affect women older than 60 more than other types of breast cancer.
    • Genetic history of having a rare condition called hereditary diffuse gastric cancer.
• Inflammatory breast cancer: This invasive cancer is locally advanced, which means it has spread from its point of origin and is at risk of getting to lymph nodes and spreading throughout the body. Inflammatory breast cancer is rare, and its defining feature is how quickly it progresses. Mammograms do not always discover it, so knowing the symptoms is the best way to detect it early.
  • Risk factors:
    • African-American women are at higher risk (for reasons unknown) for this specific cancer, but overall, white women are at a slightly higher risk for breast cancer.
    • Women between the ages of 40 and 60 are more prone to this cancer than those in other age groups.
• Paget's disease: A rare breast cancer that largely affects women older than 50, Paget's can be either invasive or noninvasive and begins in the nipple, spreading outward.
  • Symptoms:
    • Itchiness of the nipple
    • Dry or flaky skin around the nipple
    • Redness of the breast and nipple
  • Risk factors:
    • Death rates are higher among African-American women.
    • Radiation treatment, especially in the chest area, for previous cancer(s).

Like all cancers, breast cancer is most successfully treated when discovered early. Knowing risk factors, checking your body and getting regular mammograms based on doctor recommendations are all important habits to maintain if you want to ensure early detection.