As with most tumors, several causes usually come together when breast cancer appears at the same time. Some are impossible to modify, such as the hereditary component responsible, according to the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), for between 10 and 15% of breast cancer cases; sex –being a woman is the main risk factor for developing the disease–, or age –more than a third of breast cancers are diagnosed in women over 70 years of age–. Nor can it be influenced by race – one in eight white and black women will suffer from the disease throughout their lives, compared to one in nine Latinas and Asians – and genetics – family mutations are behind 15-20% of cases. cases of breast tumor -, or medical history - between 13 and 19% of patients with a new diagnosis of breast cancer have a first-degree history -.
Likewise, having dense breasts or having been exposed to high concentrations of estrogen, which usually occurs in women with a longer fertile age as a result of early menarche and late menopause, are other factors that are impossible to modify. However, the AECC points out that it is possible to be aware of habits associated with lifestyle, such as diet, consumption of toxic substances or lack of physical activity; as well as keeping in mind the influence of reproductive life or hormonal replacement treatments after menopause on the risk of developing the disease. In this sense, the association points out that women who do not have children have a risk of suffering from breast cancer that is 1.5 times higher than those who do have children, and that, if the first pregnancy occurs above the 35 years old, the risk increases by 1.6 times compared to those who become mothers before the age of 27.
Regarding modifiable risk factors, the epiGEICAM epidemiological study carried out by the Spanish GEICAM Breast Cancer Research Group showed in 2019 that eating a healthy diet, specifically based on the Mediterranean diet, can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. breast by up to 30%, and that a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight can increase it by 71% and 50%, respectively. Regarding alcohol, the GEICAM points out that the consumption of this toxic substance accumulated throughout life increases the risk of breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women. For its part, the AECC links tobacco with an increased risk of breast cancer, both for active and passive smokers, and especially in those with a long history of smoking and who have smoked before their first pregnancy. In addition, it points out exposure to ionizing radiation as a cause of a higher incidence of the disease.
Beyond avoiding modifiable risk factors, knowing the disease, self-examination and participating in screening programs aimed at detecting breast cancer before the first symptoms appear are an essential part of prevention. According to data from the International Agency for Cancer Research collected by GEICAM, the reduction in mortality is 40% among women who follow this type of check-ups. In Spain, the National Health System invites all women residing in the country, between 50 and 69 years old, to participate in population-based breast cancer screening, with screening intervals every two years.
All women in the determined age range, which can be extended between 45 and 74 years depending on the autonomy - and following the latest recommendations of the European Union in this regard, which advise expanding the age range of the programs -, They receive a letter with the day, time and place to have a mammogram. In addition to the screening program, the Ministry of Health points out that in the case of women who meet criteria for high personal risk or risk of familial or hereditary cancer, individual risk assessment and follow-up are carried out through action protocols. specific, which may include other diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds, MRIs, scans or tomography, depending on the particular needs of each patient.
