Breast cancer symptoms, risks and screening

Risk factors of breast cancer

Many factors can increase your risk of breast cancer, but they do not mean that you will develop it. You can also have none of the known risk factors and still get breast cancer. If you are worried, speak to your doctor. For more information, see breastcancerriskfactors.gov.au or www.petermac.org/iprevent.

Personal factors

• Being female is the biggest risk factor – 99% of breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women.
• Risk increases with age for both men and women.
• More than 3 in 4 breast cancer cases are in women over the age of 50. Free breast screening is available.
• Dense breast tissue (as seen on a mammogram) increases your risk.
• Breast implants do not increase breast cancer risk, but some implants are linked with a type of cancer called lymphoma. See tga.gov.au/products/medical-devices/breastimplant-hub.

Lifestyle factors

• Being overweight or gaining weight after menopause. Losing weight to a healthy range can lower this.
• Drinking alcohol – the more that you drink, the higher your risk. If you choose to drink, the Australian alcohol guidelines suggest you drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week, and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.
• Not getting enough exercise or not being physically active.
• Smoking tobacco

Family history

• About 5–10% of breast cancers are due to an inherited breast cancer gene such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.
• Most people with breast cancer do not have a strong family history. However, having several close relatives (e.g. mother, sister, aunt) on the same side
  of the family who have had breast or ovarian cancer may increase your risk.
• Several close relatives on the same side of the family with prostate or pancreatic cancer may increase your risk.

Hormonal factors

• Long-term use of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) containing both oestrogen and progesterone.
• Taking the oral contraceptive pill (the pill) for a long time may slightly increase the risk.
• You or your mother using diethylstilboestrol (DES) during pregnancy.
• Transgender women taking gender-affirming hormones for more than 5 years.

Medical history

• Having been previously diagnosed with breast cancer, LCIS or DCIS.
• Some non-cancerous conditions of excessive growth of breast cells (atypical ductal hyperplasia or ADH).
• Having radiation therapy to the chest area for Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Males with a rare genetic syndrome called Klinefelter syndrome. Those with this syndrome have 3 sex chromosomes (XXY) instead of the usual 2 (XY).

Reproductive factors

• Never having given birth to a child.
• Starting your first period (menstruating) before the age of 12.
• Being older than age 30 when you gave birth to your first child.
• Never having breastfed a child.
• Going through menopause after the age of 55.

Screening and early detection

Breast screening saves lives. Screening is one of the most effective ways to detect early signs of breast cancer, meaning treatment outcomes are much better. Early detection is the best way to improve survival.

So it’s important for women aged 50-74 to put breast screening at the top of their to-do list.

If you have put off or missed a breast cancer screening, make sure you catch up. Life can be busy, but cancer screening could save your life.

If you have received an invitation, now is the time to make an appointment. A mammogram every two years is the best way to detect breast cancer early and improve survival.

To make an appointment at one of more than 600 BreastScreen Australia clinics nationwide, phone 13 20 50 at a cost of a local phone call. Find our more in our guide to breast screening.