Is Breast Cancer Hereditary?

Breast cancer is the most common form of carcinoma affecting women around the world. There are many questions revolving around breast cancer, the most common being - Is breast cancer hereditary? Take a look at the article to know more.

Family History and Breast Cancer

About 5-10 per cent of all breast cancers are estimated to be hereditary. This means breast cancer runs in your family and may be caused by a mutation in certain genes you have inherited from either parent. Two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are tumour-killing genes and help in fighting cancer. However, when there’s a mutation in the BRCA genes, they do not function normally, increasing a person’s risk of developing breast cancer. A majority of hereditary breast cancers are due to mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Other than hereditary breast cancers, other causes of cancer are due to gene mutations acquired by an individual over time or are sporadic.

How can you prevent breast cancer from running in the family?

Some ways to prevent breast cancer from running in the family are listed below.

• Maintain a healthy weight. If your weight is more than normal, you may be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. So, it’s important that you maintain a healthy weight.

• Keep yourself physically active by exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and be consistent with your exercise regime.

• Eat healthy by consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables.

• Avoid or limit alcohol as it can increase the risk of breast cancer.

• At least fifteen different cancers, including breast cancer, are due to smoking. If you smoke, try to quit as soon as possible.

• As breastfeeding decreases the risk of breast cancer, if possible, breastfeed.

• After the age of 35, avoid taking birth control pills.