Studies have found the following are the breast cancer risk factors,The primary risk factors for breast factor that have been identified are sex, childbearing, hormones, a high-fat diet, intake, obesity, and environmental factors such as tobacco use, radiation, endocrine disruptors and shiftwork. However, studies of environmental and lifestyle factors only attribute a small increase in breast cancer to each factor. Furthermore, these studies are not randomized, controlled trials, and so they may associate breast cancer with factors that don't actually cause breast cancer.

No cause is known for 95% of breast cancer cases, while approximately 5% of new breast cancers are attributable to hereditary syndromes. In particular, carriers of the breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are at a 30-40% increased risk for breast and ovarian cancer, depending on in which portion of the protein the mutation occurs.

• Age: The chance of getting breast cancer goes up as a woman gets older. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women over 60. This disease is not common before menopause.



• Personal history of breast cancer: Personal history of breast cancer: A woman who had breast cancer in one breast has an increased risk of getting cancer in her other breast.



• Family history: A woman's risk of breast cancer is higher if her mother, sister, or daughter had breast cancer. The risk is higher if her family member got breast cancer before age 40. Having other relatives with breast cancer (in either her mother's or father's family) may also increase a woman's risk.



• Certain breast changes: Some women have cells in the breast that look abnormal under a microscope. Having certain types of abnormal cells (atypical hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ [LCIS]) increases the risk of breast cancer.



• Gene changes: Changes in certain genes increase the risk of breast cancer. These genes include BRCA1, BRCA2, and others. Tests can sometimes show the presence of specific gene changes in families with many women who have had breast cancer. Health care providers may suggest ways to try to reduce the risk of breast cancer, or to improve the detection of this disease in women who have these changes in their genes.



• Reproductive and menstrual history:



• The older a woman is when she has her first child, the greater her chance of breast cancer.



• Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.



• Women who went through menopause after age 55 are at an increased risk of breast cancer.



• Women who never had children are at an increased risk of breast cancer.



• Women who take menopausal hormone therapy with estrogen plus progestin after menopause also appear to have an increased risk of breast cancer.



• Large, well-designed studies have shown no link between abortion or miscarriage and breast cancer.



• Race: Breast cancer is diagnosed more often in white women than Latina, Asian, or African American women.



• Radiation therapy to the chest: Women who had radiation therapy to the chest (including breasts) before age 30 are at an increased risk of breast cancer. This includes women treated with radiation for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Studies show that the younger a woman was when she received radiation treatment, the higher her risk of breast cancer later in life.



• Breast density: Breast tissue may be dense or fatty. Older women whose mammograms (breast x-rays) show more dense tissue are at increased risk of breast cancer.



• Taking DES (diethylstilbestrol): DES was given to some pregnant women in the United States between about 1940 and 1971. (It is no longer given to pregnant women.) Women who took DES during pregnancy may have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. The possible effects on their daughters are under study.



• Being overweight or obese after menopause: The chance of getting breast cancer after menopause is higher in women who are overweight or obese.



• Lack of physical activity: Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being active may help reduce risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.



• Drinking alcohol: Studies suggest that the more alcohol a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.

• Certain breast changes: Some women have cells in the breast that look abnormal under a microscope. Having certain types of abnormal cells (atypical hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ [LCIS]) increases the risk of breast cancer.
• No physical activity: Women who are physically inactive throughout life may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being active may help decrease risk.
• Tamoxifen may interact unfavorably with certain antidepressants when used for prevention of breast cancer recurrence.^[30]
• Abortion-breast cancer hypothesis: Mainstream organizations such as the American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute have concluded there is no link between induced abortion and breast cancer, although a minority of doctors continue to disagree.

Other possible risk factors are under study. Researchers are studying the effect of diet, physical activity, and genetics on breast cancer risk. They are also studying whether certain substances in the environment can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Many risk factors can be avoided. Others, such as family history, cannot be avoided. Women can help protect themselves by staying away from known risk factors whenever possible.

But it is also important to keep in mind that most women who have known risk factors do not get breast cancer. Also, most women with breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease. In fact, except for growing older, most women with breast cancer have no clear risk factors.

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