Many breast cancer patients wonder why the disease sometimes occurs even if they maintain a healthy diet and have no family history of breast cancer. Dr. Zhang Jinjian, a leading breast cancer physician in Taiwan, shared that sleep habits can also affect breast cancer risk. He also discussed the more well-known factors that increase a woman’s risk.
Typical Breast Cancer Risks
One of the main factors that raises a woman’s risk of breast cancer is family history.Actor Angelina Jolie is an example of someone who had a high risk of breast cancer due to a family history of cancer in multiple relatives. Her aunt had breast cancer, and her mother had died of ovarian cancer. Both had tested positive for BRCA1 gene mutation, which is linked to breast cancer. Jolie was found to have the same mutated gene; doctors told her her risk of developing breast cancer was close to 90 percent, and her chance of developing ovarian cancer was over 50 percent. Therefore, she decided to play it safe and had her breasts, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed.
