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Risk Factors and Prevention

Understanding Risk and Prevention	Breast Cancer Risk Factors Table
Factors that Affect Breast Cancer Risk	Risk Factors Summary Table of Relative Risks
Factors Under Study	Topics for People at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer
Factors that Do Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk	Other Issues Related to Risk

Many factors are linked to breast cancer risk. Some factors affect risk a great deal and others by only a small amount. Some risk factors you can’t change. For example, the two most common risk factors for breast cancer, being a woman and getting older, are not things you can change. Other factors you may be able to control. For example, leading a healthy lifestyle may help lower your chances of getting breast cancer.

Understanding which factors may affect your risk can help you work with your health care provider to address any concerns you may have and develop a breast cancer screening plan that is right for you.

Understanding Risk and Prevention	Summary Tables of Risk Factors
Introduction Understanding risk Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (Gail model) Understanding prevention	Breast cancer risk factors table Risk factors summary table of relative risks
Topics for People at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer	Other Issues Related to Breast Cancer Risk
Gene mutations and genetic testing Options for women at higher risk More frequent or earlier screening Preventive surgery Risk-lowering drugs (tamoxifen and raloxifene) Clinical trials for women at higher risk	Healthy behaviors Race and ethnicity Breast cancer risk among lesbian, gay and bisexual women Breast cancer and the environment Emerging areas in estimating risk and risk reduction Questions for your provider Glossary References
Factors that Affect Breast Cancer Risk (listed according to level of evidence and strength of association)	Factors that Do Not Increase Breast Cancer Risk (listed alphabetically)
Age Being female Inherited gene mutations Family history of breast, ovarian or prostate cancer Breast density on mammogram Benign breast conditions (benign breast disease, hyperplasia) Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) Personal history of breast cancer or other cancers Radiation treatment (radiation exposure) Childbearing (age at first birth and number of children) Blood estrogen levels Age at first period Age at menopause Drinking alcohol Ashkenazi Jewish heritage Body weight and weight gain Birth control pill use Height Socioeconomic status Menopausal hormone therapy (postmenopausal hormone use) Breastfeeding Blood androgen levels Bone density Light at night and shift work Exercise (physical activity) Breast cancer risk factors table	Factors that do not increase breast cancer risk Abortion Blood organochlorine levels (exposure to certain types of pesticides and industrial chemicals) Breast implants Electromagnetic fields (EMF) Hair dyes Breast cancer risk factors table
Factors Under Study (listed alphabetically)	Factors Not Likely Related to Breast Cancer Risk (listed alphabetically)
Factors under study Antibiotic use Aspirin use Birthweight (a person’s weight at birth) Body care cosmetics containing parabens Breast size Caffeine Cell phone use Dairy products Dietary fat Folic acid (folate) and multivitamin use French fry consumption Fruits, vegetables and carotenoids Glycemic index and insulin Hair relaxers In utero exposure to DES and breast cancer risk among offspring Left-handedness Meat consumption Migraine headaches Protein hormones (prolactin and IGF-1) Secondhand smoke Smoking Soy and phytoestrogens Stress Vitamin D Breast cancer risk factors table	Factors not likely related to risk Bras/underwire bras Breast milk (having been breastfed as an infant) Deodorant/antiperspirant use Fertility drugs Plastics Trauma to the breast Breast cancer risk factors table
Risk Factors Research Tables	Risk-Lowering Drugs (Chemoprevention) Research Tables
Table 1: Body weight and breast cancer risk Table 2: Weight gain and breast cancer risk Table 3: Alcohol and breast cancer risk Table 4: Physical activity and breast cancer risk Table 5: Breastfeeding and breast cancer risk Table 6: Blood estrogen levels and breast cancer risk Table 7: Blood androgen levels and breast cancer risk Table 8: Menopausal hormone therapy (postmenopausal hormone use and breast cancer risk) Table 9: Birth control pills and breast cancer risk Table 10: Age at menopause and breast cancer risk Table 11: BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations and cancer risk Table 12: Hyperplasia and breast cancer risk Table 13: Light at night/shift work and breast cancer risk Table 14: Dairy products and breast cancer risk Table 15: Dietary fat and breast cancer risk Table 16: Fruits and vegetables and breast cancer risk Table 17: Carotenoids and breast cancer risk Table 18: Meat and breast cancer risk Table 19: Soy and breast cancer risk Table 20: Vitamin D and breast cancer risk Table 21: IGF-1 and breast cancer risk Table 22: Smoking and breast cancer risk Table 23: Secondhand smoke and breast cancer risk Table 24: Hair dyes and breast cancer risk Table 25: Abortion and breast cancer risk Table 26: Electromagnetic fields and breast cancer risk Table 27: Blood organochlorine levels and breast cancer risk Table 28: Breast implants and breast cancer risk	Table 29: Chemoprevention—the use of tamoxifen and raloxifene to reduce the risk of breast cancer

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