Age is likely the most important overall factor associated with breast cancer risk.  Breast cancer risk increases in the older post-menopausal population.  For this reason, all breast cancer screening recommendations are based primarily on age.  Obesity, however, may be the single most preventable risk factor associated with breast cancer.  With the dramatic increase in obesity in the U.S., this may be the number one reason for a persistently high incidence in breast cancer.  Other physical factors also play some roles in breast cancer risk.  These include height, body shape, breast size, and mammographic density.  These physical factors are summarized below.

Body Weight and Breast Cancer:  A woman’s body weight does affect her risk of breast cancer but the effect is different for premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer.  Most studies have found that heavier women (weighing more than 175 pounds) have a lower risk of breast cancer before menopause and higher risk of breast cancer after menopause, compared to thinner women (weighing less than 130 pounds).  Since 80% of breast cancers occur after menopause, the negative effects of obesity far outweigh the beneficial effects.  The results are the same whether body weight is examined directly or if body mass index is used to adjust for the effects of height on body weight.

Body Shape and Breast Cancer:  Several human studies have found that women who carry more of their body fat on their stomach (apple shaped) have higher rates of postmenopausal breast cancer compared to women with more of their body fat around their hips (pear shaped).  This seems to be true regardless of women’s body weight.  The relationship of the location of fat on the body and premenopausal breast cancer risk has not been clearly determined

Height and Breast Cancer:  A woman’s height has been associated with breast cancer risk in many studies.  Taller women (5′ 9″ or taller) have a small increase in risk of both premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer compared to shorter women (5′ 3″ or shorter).  A person’s height is determined by the interaction of genetics and nutrition.  How height might affect breast cancer risk is unclear.  

Breast Size and Breast Cancer:  There is a popular belief that small breasts are at lower risk of breast cancer.  This theory has been used to explain why women with breast implants have a smaller risk of breast cancer.  However, most studies have found no association between breast size and breast cancer risk.  One study, however, did find an increase in the risk of breast cancer among lean women with larger breasts.  In this study, more than 4,000 women were grouped according to their bra size before childbirth.  Women who were lean (chest size less than 34 inches) and had larger breasts (size B, C or larger cups) were at higher risk of post menopausal breast cancer relative to women of the same chest size with an A or smaller cup size.  Women with other chest sizes had no association between breast cup size and breast cancer risk.  More studies are needed to confirm these results

Mammographic density:  Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that breast density as measured on mammograms is a significant risk factor for breast cancer.  The risk of breast cancer associated with the highest category of density has been estimated to be much greater than in the lowest density category.  Mammographic density appears to be predictive for developing invasive cancer after DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ).  Increasing density is associated with increasing breast cancer risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women, with the effect persisting for ten years after mammography.  Mammographic density has also been shown to be a risk factor for breast cancer in women with a family history of the disease.  Mammographic density is probably important even in patients who are BRCA gene positive.  In fact, mammographic density may actually have a substantial heritable component.

According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures, 2008, 1,437,180 Americans will have developed some form of cancer. Of those cancer victims, approximately 565,650 will succumb to the disease. Cancer may remain undiagnosed in its early stages when there may be virtually few or no symptoms. Another complicating factor to diagnosis of cancer is that, because it can involve any area of the body, symptoms can vary widely. A third complication is symptoms of cancer can mimic an assortment of other diseases or conditions causing a physician to fail to diagnose the cancer or misdiagnose cancer as another condition.Tests and interpretation of the results are another area where failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of cancer may occur. If the physician does not order tests to investigate symptoms there is the possibility the cancer will progress to a later stage and, therefore, reduce the patient’s chances of survival. Misinterpretation of test results can result in non-treatment of the cancer or, in the alternative, treatments for a cancer that does not exist. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery may be performed unnecessarily and cause the patient untold suffering. The American Cancer Society lists approximately 40 different types of cancer in its Cancer Facts & Figures, 2008. These are the more commonly found cancers and do not include rare forms. With this many types of cancer, many health care providers are not sufficiently knowledgeable to recognize and test symptoms. Nonetheless, there are incidences where symptoms of even the most common forms of cancer, bladder, breast, colon and rectal, endometrial, kidney, leukemia, lung, melanoma and non-melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, pancreatic, prostrate and thyroid, are overlooked. For the rare form of cancers, there exists a higher risk it will not be diagnosed properly.A patient whose symptoms fall into a category of cancer for which they are not particularly at risk, such as breast cancer in men (less than 1% of males will develop breast cancer or approximately 2,030 cases in 2007), a failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of cancer possibility increases. Another group at risk are children. Children may not be able to articulate their symptoms and health care providers may dismiss them as childhood growing pains.The the top ten types of cancers for men and women of all races in the United States for the year 2005 (the latest year statistics are available from the National Program of Cancer Registries) are: lung and bronchus; prostate; female breast; colon and rectum; pancreas; ovary; leukemias; non- Hodgkin lymphoma; liver and IBD; and esophagus.The the top ten death rate of cancers are for: prostate; female breast; lung and bronchus; colon and rectum; corpus and uterus, NOS; urinary bladder; non- Hodgkin lymphoma; melanomas of the skin; kidney and renal pelvis; and ovary. This data illustrates the urgency and importance of a proper diagnosis of cancer to ensure the best survival prognosis possible.The most common malpractice lawsuits are for failure to diagnose or misdiagnosis of breast, lung and colon cancers. If you suspect your health care provider has failed to diagnose or misdiagnosed your cancer, firstly, get a second medical opinion immediately and, secondly, contact a qualified malpractice lawyer for advice.Attorney Richard Hastings, for the past two and one half decades, has been helping injured clients and families collect millions of dollars in losses ranging from motor vehicle accidents to wrongful death, to medical malpractice. He is the founder of Selectcounsel, LLC, a free service that helps you find one of the best lawyers in your area and is the author of the books “How To Find A Great Lawyer” and “Understanding And Improving The Value Of Your Personal Injury Case.”