What Are The Main Causes of Breast Cancer?

It is an incredibly difficult day in any woman's life if she is found positive for breast cancer. Her family, friends, and anyone else who knows will wonder "why?" Why did this happen to her, and can it happen to me? One shield against such fears is to educate yourself as to the breast cancer causes and what signs to look for. Breast cancer is a disease where cells in your breasts begin dividing uncontrollably, forming the lumps that we are taught to examine ourselves for.
One thing is certain; cancer is a difficult disease to study. It is often difficult or impossible to tell in individual cases what caused breast cancer. However, what doctors do have a better grasp on are some of the things that are common among women (and the occasional men) who get breast cancer.
These are known more appropriately as breast cancer risk factors.
The following are a few breast cancer causes:
* Genetics and family history
* Age
* Early menstruation
* Delayed childbearing
* Presence of cancer or non-cancerous lumps in breasts previously
Genetics and family history are not exactly the same, but they are related. If there is a family history of cancer, you may be more at risk for breast cancer. However, you may be genetically at risk even without a family history of the disease. Mutations can occur in your genes that put you at risk.
If we talk about breast cancer causes, age is one of them, the older you get, the longer you are exposed to environmental factors that may mutate your genes.
Early menstruation and delayed childbearing both increase the amount of time that you are exposed to estrogen. This is one of the risk factors for breast cancer.
Presence of cancer or even non-cancerous lumps in a breast previously means you may be more at risk for breast cancer.
Breast cancer causes are difficult to pinpoint. At one level, it is fairly easy. Breast cancer is caused by a mutation that makes your cells divide uncontrollably. On another level, it is very complex. Excessive weight, radiation exposure, hormone therapy, and smoking are all potential breast cancer causes, in that they could trigger that genetic mutation.
Breast cancer causes are also dependent on environmental influences, such as what chemicals you may have been exposed to, or if someone around you is a smoker. Cancer is a complex disease, and breast cancer is one of the most difficult to pinpoint causes for.