Myths About Genetic Breast Cancer from Cleveland Clinic

A sigh of relief

Many women have gone through life believing that if their mother or grandmother had breast cancer, it was likely they would have it, too. This post from Cleveland Clinic helps us see that only 1 out of 10 cases are related to genetic causes (sigh a big breath of relief). We’ll let them get into the nitty, gritty details in the post below. Still, about 120 out of 100,000 women each year are diagnosed with breast cancer.

What are other risk factors?

• Dense breast tissue
• Other, benign breast conditions
• Starting menstruation at an early age (pre-12 years old)
• Previous chest radiation
• Not having children
• Hormone therapy for menopause

Cleveland Clinic and the myths of genetic breast cancer

How common is genetic breast cancer? Does family resemblance matter? Get the facts that answer these common questions about genetics and breast cancer.

Source: Busting Myths About Your Genes and Breast Cancer – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic

Other sources:

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-risk-factors

http://www.komennyc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=breasthealth_statistics