Risk Factors Associated with Developing Breast Cancer in Women

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Risk Factors Associated with Developing Breast Cancer in Women

Personal History of Breast Cancer.
Overtime, there has been an increase in the recurrences of breast cancer in women after undergoing treatments. In the second phase of the recurrences, the breast cancer may appear in the same breast as the first one, or in the other breast as the case may present itself. However, in the case of women who have ductal carcinoma in situ, or lobular carcinoma in situ breast cancers often do not experience the case of recurrence but are at an increasing risk of doing so (Buist et al. 2015; Obeagu et al. 2024).

Family History of Breast Cancer and other cancers.
The history of an individual family plays a key role in their genetic makeup, lifestyle and health being. The presence of breast cancer or other cancer genes in one or more closely blood-relatives implies that the disease runs in the family genetic makeup. Whereas, more breast cancer cases than anticipated, can randomly occur in some families than others. Hence, It can be difficult to determine whether a family’s history of cancer is of coincidence, a peculiar lifestyle, hereditary genes from parents, or a combination of multiple factors (Mario et al. 2017). The presence of multiple factors such as longevity and aging, high breast density, body mass index (BMI), history of neoplastic breast disease, family history of breast cancer, genetic predispositions (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) (single nucleotide polymorphisms are variations of a single base pair in a complementary DNA double strand and are inherited and heritable genetic variants), as well as hormonal, lifestyle, or radiation exposure factors, can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. 6-7 Nelson et al. 2012; Winters et al. 2017 and Wolf et al. 2024).

Breast Size
In an attempt to achieve an effective treatment and curation of breast cancer, early detection is paramount. Hence, a routine mammography is a widely accepted screening technique that has been in use since the 1970s and has resulted in significantly improving the survival rate
(Iranmakani et al. 2022). However, it suffers from low sensitivity resulting in high false positives and high false negatives from screening due to breast density in most cases which is a important factor of consideration in screening (Massat et al. 2017). Dense breast size has more milk ducts, connective tissues and glands as compared to fatty tissues. The density of breast (large or small) is a factor of a genetic trait. To compare women with little or no dense breast tissue, women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer (Obeagu et al. 2024). Breast cancer can only be detected by a mammogram, but density of breasts also make the image more difficult to interpret because on a mammogram, dense tissue appears white, like tumors, while fatty tissue appears dark, concealing a tumor appearance (Thigpen et al 2018). To overcome this problem, adjunctive technologies such as ultrasound are employed on about 10% of women recalled for additional screening following mammography. These adjunctive techniques still result in a significant number of women, about 1.6%, who undergo biopsy while only 0.4% of women screened have cancers. The main reason for missing cancers during mammography screening arises from the masking effect of dense breast tissue. The presence of a tumor results in the alteration of temperature field in the breast, which is not influenced by the tissue density. In a study conducted by Gutierrez et al. (2024), reports that, the IRI-Numerical Engine is presented as an adjunct for detecting cancer from the surface temperature data. It uses a computerized inverse heat transfer approach based on Pennes’s bioheat transfer equations. Validation of this enhanced algorithm is conducted on twenty-three biopsy-proven breast cancer patients after obtaining informed consent under IRB protocol. The algorithm correctly predicted the size and location of cancerous tumors in twenty-four breasts, while twenty-two contralateral breasts were also correctly predicted to have no cancer (one woman had bilateral breast cancer). The tumors are seen as highly perfused and metabolically active heat sources that alter the surface temperatures that are used in heat transfer modeling. Furthermore, the results from this study with twenty-four biopsy-proven cancer cases indicate that the detection of breast cancer is not affected by breast density. The study also ndicates the potential of the IRI-Numerical Engine as an effective adjunct to mammography. Though, a large scale clinical study in a statistically significant sample size is needed before integrating this approach in the current protocol.

Body Mass Index-obesity in Women.
Obesity, defined as a body mass index more than 30, (Petrilli et al. 2021). Obesity is considered as a preventable risk factor for the development of breast cancer in most countries with recurrence even when patients are treated appropriately (Lee et al. 2019). Around 40% of the world’s female population is overweight (BMI of 25kg/ m2), according to the World Health Organization, and 15% is obese (BMI of 30 kg/m2) (Tzenois et al. 2024). The number of these cases are on the increase globally and this condition is now recognized as a leading cause of cancer (WHO, 2021). Several diseases are directly related to obesity, including diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, stroke, musculoskeletal disorders, and a diverse range of malignancies such as breast cancer (Argolo et al. 2018). Some Scholars have reported Obesity to be associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer and worse cancer-related outcomes for all breast tumor subtypes, overweight, and lack of physical activity identified as the major risk factors in high and middle-income nations, accounting for 18%. (Zahmatkesh et al. 2017; Argolo et al. 2018; Obeagu et al. 2014). While there are several mechanisms that have been proposed to contribute to the obesity-cancer link, including high levels of circulating and local estrogens, altered amounts of adipokines (leptin and adiponectin), disrupted insulin/IGF signaling, modifications within the microbiome, and local and systemic effects of inflammation, the global burden of obesity-cancer is still increasing.

Hormonal replacement treatments.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), or postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT), is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. During menopause, your estrogen levels fall. Some women get uncomfortable symptoms known as vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes, or they can get other symptoms such as vaginal dryness. HRT (also known as hormone therapy, menopausal hormone therapy, and estrogen replacement therapy) is the most effective treatment for menopause symptoms. Though studies has shown that the benefits can be greater than the risks for many women. But HRT may still raise your chances of: Endometrial cancer, if you take estrogen without progestin and you still have your uterus, blood clots, stroke and breast cancer. According to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, estrogen alone increased breast cancer risk by about 1% per year and combined hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased risk by about 8% per year (Mills et al. 2023). Hence, one may be less likely to have problems if: Start HRT within 10 years of menopause or before age 60, Take the lowest dose that works for you for the shortest possible time, Take progesterone or progestin if you still have your uterus, Ask about other forms of HRT besides pills, like patches, gels, mists, vaginal creams, vaginal suppositories, or vaginal rings and Get regular mammograms and pelvic examination.