A few risk factors for breast cancer include³:

• Age: Your risk of breast cancer increases as you get older, and most breast cancers are found in women ≥ 55.
• Sex: Although breast cancer is much more common in women, men can get breast cancer too.
• Race/Ethnicity: White women are slightly more likely than Black women to develop breast cancer. In women under 40, breast cancer is more common in Black women, who also have a higher risk of triple-negative breast cancer, which is a less common type.
• Genetics: ~5-10% of breast cancers are thought to be hereditary and a result of gene changes passed on from a parent. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the most common inherited mutations that cause hereditary breast cancer, and women who have these mutations have up to a 70% chance of getting cancer by age 80, and this risk is also affected by the number of other family members with breast cancer. In the U.S., BRCA mutations are more common in Jewish people of Ashkenazi descent. Other gene mutations that may increase the risk of breast cancer include ATM, PALB2, TP53, CHEK2, PTEN, CDH1, and STK11.
• Personal and Family History: Most women diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have a family history, but women with a close blood relative with breast cancer, whether male or female, have a higher risk. Your risk doubles if you have/had one first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) with breast cancer, and your risk increases 3-fold if you have/had two first-degree relatives with breast cancer. A personal history of breast cancer and certain benign breast conditions can also slightly increase your risk.
• Dense Breasts: Women with dense breasts (more glandular and fibrous tissue and less fatty tissue) have a higher risk of breast cancer, which can be more difficult to detect on a mammogram.
• Weight: Women who are overweight or obese are at greater risk, especially after menopause.
• Exercise: Research shows a link between exercising regularly and a reduction in breast cancer risk, especially after menopause.
• Alcohol Use
• Radiation Exposure to the Chest

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