The risk factors you can control

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For the vast majority of women who worry about their breast cancer risk but are wary of taking medicine, researchers and breast cancer specialists can dispense some helpful but ultimately limited advice.

Many of the factors that contribute to breast cancer risk are pretty much beyond one's control - women can't change the fact that they started to menstruate at 10, have dense breasts or are genetically predisposed to the disease.

Changing social norms sometimes conspire to boost breast cancer's odds. Many women establishing careers and marrying later delay childbearing or remain childless. But women who bear their first child after age 30, or have no children at all, are at higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer.



So, what can a woman do to nudge her risk downward? These recommendations are based on laboratory studies, clinical trials and projects that track breast cancer incidence in large populations. Most of this advice is sensible for any woman, no matter her odds of breast cancer. However, experts acknowledge that the influence of lifestyle on breast cancer risk is less well established than other factors women can't do much about.

Assess your risk. It all starts here, says Dr. Nananda Col of Maine Medical Center's Research Institute, who conducts research on how women weigh decisions affecting their health. The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool gives a rough assessment in just a few minutes. Go to http://www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool/ and answer seven questions. Then hit the "Calculate Risk" button and you'll get readings of your risk of developing breast cancer in the next five years and over the course of an 85-year lifetime. You'll also see how those odds compare with the average risk for a woman your age. The numbers will give you a measure of whether lifestyle changes should suffice to curb your risk or whether you should speak to a specialist about taking further steps, such as medication or prophylactic mastectomy.

Additional information:

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
Risk Factors and Prevention Breast Cancer womenshealth.gov
Breast cancer risk factors differ among races
Established risk factors Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Breast cancer genetic risk factors discovered Society The Guardian
Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention Tips Breast Cancer
The risk factors you can control Los Angeles Times
Cancer Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Breast Cancer Risk Factors
Causes of breast cancer
http://www.latimes.com/health/...

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