Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in women around the world. You may also be perplexed to know that breast cancer is also caused in men, although the chances to occur are very rare. Screening the breast cancer and knowing the symptoms could be important but prior to all these, understanding the disease itself is most important.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer is a malignant form of cancer that develops usually from the cells of breast tissue. A malignant form of cancer is usually invasive where the cancer (excessively growing cells) spread to normal parts of the body. Usually it is the ducts (tubes that connect the lobules to nipples) or lobules (glands which produce milk) of the breasts from where the cancer arises. This may take place in one or both the breasts. Many women die due to breast cancer every year where one of the reasons responsible is ignorance. Hence creating breast cancer awareness is the need of the hour amongst the women.
What are the Risk Factors?
In order to create Breast cancer awareness, it is important to know the risk factors responsible for causing the cancer. Here are some of them which may contribute to the onset of the disease:
- Early menstruation, usually before the age of 12.
- Older age during the time of giving first birth.
- History of previously having a benign tumor in the breast.
- Parental history of having breast cancer.
- History of having undergone radiation treatment where your breasts may have been exposed.
- Undergoing hormonal therapy which includes Estrogens and Progesterone.
- Consuming alcohol.
- Exposure to chemical environment (Could be through the use of cosmetics, exposure to chemicals at your workplace or nearby your surroundings).
- Use of Aluminum compounds or products containing Aluminum.
- Having a stressful life.
- Lack of proper sleep (Insomnia).
- Lack of proper exercises.
- Consumption of unhealthy diet, usually diet containing Trans fat.
However the above risk factors do not have a certainty in causing breast cancer because the research has shown that some of women with breast cancer do not have a familial history of breast cancer or any of the common factors that could predict the cause of the disease. But still these above factors do contribute significantly in most of the cases.
