- Fibroadenoma. These are solid benign lumps that occur in women between the ages of 15 and 30.
- Breast abscesses during breastfeeding.
 | Click the icon to see an image of a breast abscess. |
- Nipple discharge. Discharge from the nipple is worrisome to patients, but is unlikely to be a sign of cancer. Unexplained discharge still warrants evaluation, however.
 | Click the icon to see an image of nipple discharge. |
- Mastalgia. This is breast pain that occurs in association with or independently from the menstrual cycle. About 8 - 10% of women experience moderate to severe breast pain associated with their menstrual cycle. In general, breast pain does not need assessment unless it is severe and prolonged.
Physical Characteristics
The following physical characteristics have been associated with increased risk:
- Obesity increases the risk for all types of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers. Women who gain weight after menopause are most at risk. (On a positive note, losing weight after menopause decreases breast cancer risk.) In postmenopausal women, estrogen is produced in fat tissue. High amounts of fatty tissue increase levels of estrogen in the body, leading to faster growth of estrogen-sensitive cancers.
- Estrogen is involved in building bone mass. Therefore, women with heavy, dense bones are likely to have higher estrogen levels and to be at greater risk for breast cancer.
- Some studies have found a greater risk for breast cancer in taller women, possibly due to the higher estrogen levels associated with greater bone growth. In one study, regardless of their actual height, women who reached their full height at age 13 or younger had a higher risk than those who attained maximum height at age 18, reflecting higher estrogen levels at an earlier age.
Environmental Factors
Exposure to Estrogen-like Industrial Chemicals. Chemicals with estrogen-like effects, called xenoestrogens, have been under suspicion for years. There has been particular concern with pesticides containing organochlorines (DDT and its metabolites, such as dieldrin) and pyrethroids (permethrin), but at this time evidence of any causal association is very weak.
Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol (DES). Women who took diethylstilbestrol (DES) to prevent miscarriage have a slightly increased risk for breast cancer. To date, this risk has not been seen in their daughters (commonly called "DES daughters"), who were exposed to the drug when their mothers took it during pregnancy.
Radiation Exposure. Heavy exposure to radiation is a significant risk factor for breast cancer. Children receiving high-dose radiation therapy face an increased risk for breast cancer in adulthood. Low-dose radiation exposure before age 20 may increase the risk for women with BRCA genetic mutations.
Viruses
Researchers theorize that viruses may be involved in some types of breast cancers. A study of breast cancer samples taken from Tunisian women in North Africa found similarities with a virus known to cause breast cancer in mice. The samples were compared with those taken from women living in other global regions. The researchers suggested that a human breast cancer virus may be more prevalent in specific parts of the world.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor
Insulin-like growth factor 1 is an important growth hormone during development in the womb and childhood. It has powerful properties that increase cell proliferation, and high concentrations have now been linked to cancers, including premenopausal breast cancer. In fact, it may be one of the factors that are responsible for the association between height and breast cancer. More research is needed to verify a possible role of insulin-like growth factor 1 in breast cancer development.
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