YORK, Pa. — If you're a woman who just received a breast cancer diagnosis, you probably have a ton of questions.
How did I get it and what causes it? Several things can increase a person's risk of developing breast cancer, so we're taking a look at the most common culprits.
From an unhealthy diet to genetics, there are many factors that can increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime.
"The highest risk for getting breast cancer is simply being a woman. The second highest risk is age, said Dr. Heather Thieme with WellSpan Health.
Family history doesn't play as big of a role for most women who get breast cancer, but it could. A new study published in the journal Nature Genetics found at least four new genes strongly associated with breast cancer, although more rare, they could eventually be included in tests to identify women at high risk.
"A woman's lifetime estrogen exposure also has an influence on whether she'll get breast cancer or not, so someone who has an earlier start to her menses later menopause and life changes risk factors," Dr. Thieme said.
Dense breast tissue can also be a big risk factor.
"Mammograms typically will show calcifications or white densities when we see a cancer and when the breast is very dense it all looks very white so it's harder to see those smaller cancers," she explained.
That density declines with age. A new study published in the Journal Jama Oncology shows that the cancer risk is specific to breast density declining unevenly. Researchers say when one breast had a slower decline in density, cancer was more likely to be found in that breast.
"You not only have a group that is tougher to screen for mammograms, but they are in a higher risk group," Dr. Thieme said.
To lessen your risk of developing breast cancer, she says quit smoking, don't binge drink and try to keep a healthy lifestyle with nutritious foods and plenty of exercise.