Selected Risk Factors for Breast Cancer*
| A personal history of breast cancer | |||
| Age (the risk increases with age) | |||
| Family history of breast cancer (in a mother, sister, daughter, or two or more close relatives such as cousins) | |||
| Age at first live birth (women who had their first child after age 30 and women who have never given birth are at higher risk) | |||
| Age at first menstrual period (women who had their first period before age 12 are at slightly higher risk) | |||
| Benign breast changes (atypical hyperplasia) or two or more breast biopsies even if no atypical cells were found | |||
| Race (white women are more likely to develop breast cancer than black women, but blacks are more likely than whites to die of it; Hispanic and Asian women have a lower risk of developing the disease) | |||
| Genetics: Several genes (including BRCA1 and BRCA2, among others) increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer | |||
| Oral contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy may both slightly increase the risk of a woman's developing breast cancer | |||
| Obesity increases the risk of a woman's developing breast cancer | |||
| Alcohol use: The greater the alcohol intake of a woman, the greater the risk of breast cancer |
*SOURCE: Adapted from the National Cancer Institute and other sources.