Causes Of Breast Cancer In Male And Female

causes of breast cancer

Our bodies are created by millions of many different kinds of cells. There are cases where cells multiply in an unusual way which leads to the occurrence of cancer. When cancer starts to affect body organs and solid tissues, a growth known as a tumor will start to appear. Cancer usually occurs in parts of the body where there is unusual cells multiplication. When cells in the breast tissue multiply and get affected, breast cancer starts to exist. If the patient does not find out this quickly or leave it untreated, the cancer growth will be speeded up and spread from the breast into nearby tissue or other body parts including your bones, blood and organs. Breast cancer can happen to both men and women. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent it effectively by knowing about the causes of breast cancer, which are going to be listed in this “Causes of breast cancer in male and female” article.

I. Causes Of Breast Cancer In Female

1. Age

As you get older, you will have bigger chances of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer most likely occurs among women who are over 50 and have experienced the menopause. Eight out of ten breast cancer cases occur in women at the age of over 50.

As a part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme, every woman who is between 50 & 70 should be tested and examined for breast cancer every 3 years. Women who are more than 70 can still be able to be tested. They can arrange the examination through their GP or local screening unit. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of studies being conducted to find a possible way to widen the screening age range to from 47 to 73.

2. Family History

family history review

If any of your close relatives has experienced and suffered from ovarian cancer or breast cancer, there is a very high risk that you may develop breast cancer. However, because this cancer is the most popular kind of cancer among women, there are chances that it can happen in the same family more than once.

The fact is most cases of breast cancer are not hereditary. However, some particular genes such as BRCA1 & BRCA2 have the ability to increase your chance of getting both breast & ovarian cancer. These genes can be possibly passed on from a parent to child. Another gene, which is TP53, also has a close connection to increased risk of breast cancer.

For example, from the same side of the family, if you have two or more close relatives, such as mother, sister or even daughter, who have suffered from breast cancer under 50, you might be eligible for surveillance for breast cancer. Besides, you can also be eligible for genetic screening. By doing that, you will be able to long for the genes that help speed up the cancer growth or create the development of breast cancer. If you are concerned about family history of this cancer, it is necessary to have discussion with the GP.

3. Previous Diagnosis Of Cancer

If you have suffered from breast cancer or had early non invasive cancer cell changes included within breast ducts in the past, the risk of increasing it again is very high. It may either occur in your other or in the same breast.

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4. Previous Benign Breast Lump

previous benign breast lump review

It does not mean that you have cancer if you have a benign breast lump. However, the risk of developing breast cancer can be slightly increased by some certain kinds of lump. Some benign changes in breast tissue, such as atypical ductal hyperplasia, which means unusual cells growth in ducts, or lobular carcinoma in situ, which means unusual cells inside your breast lobes, that can make it more likely that the breast cancer will occur.

5. Breast Density

Your breasts have the ability to produce milk because there are thousands of tiny glands inside. This glandular tissue makes the breast tissue denser since it contains a very high concentration of breast cells. Women who have denser breast tissue are more likely to develop breast cancer.

Denser breast tissue makes any lump or area of abnormal tissue difficult to spot. Therefore, a mammogram, which means a breast scan, can become harder to read. Younger women may tend to have denser breasts. As you age, you will have less glandular tissue amount in your breast since it is substituted with fat, so your breasts will be less dense.

6. Exposure To Estrogen

exposure to estrogen review

The female hormone estrogen can stimulate the breast cancer growth in some cases. When you start puberty, your ovaries, in which your eggs are stored, will start to produce estrogen.

Your chance of getting breast cancer may be slightly raised by the estrogen amount that your body is exposed to. For instance, if you began puberty at your young age & experienced menopause at a late age, this means that you have been exposed to estrogen for a longer time. Moreover, you will have even higher risk of developing breast cancer if you are not having children now or later in life. This is because your exposure to estrogen is not interrupted by pregnancy.

7. Being Obese Or Overweight

being obese or overweight review

If you have experienced the menopause & now you are overweight or obese, there is a high risk that you may develop breast cancer. This is because once you are obese after going through the menopause, more estrogen will be produced, causing greater chance of developing breast cancer.

8. Height

Those who are taller than average have greater chance of developing breast cancer than those who are shorter. Scientists are still learning more about the reason of this. However, it is thought that the interactions between nutrition, genes, and hormones may be the cause of this.

9. Alcohol

alcohol review

The more you drink alcohol, the higher risk of developing breast cancer you have. According to a research, there are 3 more women who have developed breast cancer in every 200 women who drink alcohol regularly, compared with those who do not drink.

Read more: How to Give Up Alcohol

10. Radiation

You may have higher risk of developing breast cancer if your body is exposed to radiation, which is used in some certain medical procedures such as X rays & CT scans.

II. Causes Of Breast Cancer In Male

causes of breast cancer in male review

1. Genetics

The same with female, some faults in certain genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, are known as the causes of cancer in male. Because these genes can be inherited, so breast cancer can run in families.

About 3 or 4 out of every 20 men develop breast cancer because they inherited faults in these genes from their close relatives. Therefore, there is a possible risk that you may carry these faults if your family has a strong history of breast cancer.

Those who have a family history of breast cancer usually have an abnormally high number of close relatives on one side of family with breast cancer and/or relatives who have suffered from breast cancer at a very young age. A family history can be contributed by different cases of ovarian cancer, male breast cancer, cancer in both breasts or having a certain ethnic or geographical background, such as Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

It is necessary to see your doctor and discuss if you are worried about any cancers in your family.

2. Exposure To Ionizing Radiation

exposure to ionizing radiation review

It is proven that one of the causes of cancer in women is radiotherapy treatment to the chest, and there have been some evidence that it may also be the cause of cancer in men. Therefore, it is necessary to contact your personal doctor if you are worried about your previous chest radiotherapy.

3. Hormonal Factors

Normally, men produce high levels of male hormones, such as testosterone, and low levels of female hormone, which is oestrogen. Your risk of developing breast cancer can be increased if your hormone imbalances. This happens when oestrogen levels raise and androgen levels decrease.

4. Prostate Cancer

prostate cancer review

Prostate cancer may also be the cause of cancer in men. Scientists have not fully understood the reason of this yet. However, it is thought that this may have some connection to hormone levels. About one in six men who have developed breast cancer may have a chance of having prostate cancer in their lifetime.

That is the end of this Causes of breast cancer in male and female article. Hopefully after reading these causes of breast cancer in male and female article, you will find out more about the causes of breast cancer for male and female so that you can find a way to prevent it. If you find these causes of breast cancer in male and female useful, please let us know what you think by leaving a comment below. If you have any questions related to this article, please do not hesitate to reach us at any time. There are also many other Health A to Z related articles from the site vkool, please take sometimes to pay them a visit. We are sure that you will learn something meaningful and helpful from them and apply them to your daily life.

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