Breast Cancer: Risk Factors

Question 1

What is the #1 risk factor for breast cancer?

Answer 1

Estrogen window or age?

Question 2

What defines a woman’s estrogen window?

Answer 2

1) Age of menarche
2) Age of menopause
3) Age of first child’s birth

Question 3

A woman has an increased risk of BC if her first period was before _____ years old or her last period was after ______ years old.

Answer 3

12 y/o and 50 y/o

Question 4

A woman has an increased risk of BC if she is older than _______ when she has her first child.

Answer 4

30 y/o

Question 5

What is the order of risk for a woman with no children, a woman whose first child was born after 30 y/o, and a woman whose first child was born before she was 30 y/o?

Answer 5

Greatest risk = no children; 2nd greatest = child after 30 y/o; least risk = 1st child before 30 y/o.

Question 6

True or false: The more breaks a woman has in her menstrual cycle, the greater her risk of BC.

Answer 6

False; the less her risk of BC

Question 7

Between 1900 and today, how has the average age of menarche changed?

Answer 7

1900 = 16.7 y/o; today = 12.5 y/o

Question 8

True or false: BC in men is due to estrogen.

Answer 8

False; men have breast epithelium, but lack estrogen.

Question 9

How does a woman’s monthly cycle affect her mammary glands?

Answer 9

1) When estrogen is high at the first part of the cycle, it tells mammary cells to grow (burst of proliferation).
2) When estrogen is low in the cycle, it signals for mammary cells to die (burst of death).
3) With continued low estrogen, cells make milk (a woman has low estrogen when she is pregnant and when she is breast-feeding).

Question 10

Who discovered that oral contraceptives raise the risk of BC and lower the risk of ovarian cancer?

Answer 10

Malcolm Pike

Question 11

True or false: oral contraceptives impact one’s risk of BC and ovarian cancer for the rest of one’s life.

Answer 11

False; risks come back into balance after contraceptives are discontinued.

Question 12

True or false: Breast-feeding after 30 y/o lowers risk of BC.

Answer 12

True

Question 13

True or false: The longer you breast-feed, the lower your risk of cancer.

Answer 13

True

Question 14

Which type of birth control increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer?

Answer 14

Triphasic (it changes estrogen levels, and the more estrogen in the BC, the higher the risk)

Question 15

What are the two types of birth control? Which does not increase risk of breast cancer?

Answer 15

1) Monophasic (longterm - under skin or IUD) - stops menstrual cycle, but no increased risk of breast cancer or decreased risk of ovarian cancer.
2) Triphasic (oral) - increases risk of breast cancer, lowers risk of ovarian cancer.