Did you know? Age is the strongest risk factor of developing breast cancer, which increases the older a person gets. There is an overall lifetime risk of 1 in 9 developing breast cancer.
| Age | Risk |
|---|---|
| Up to 25 | 1 in 15,000 |
| 26-30 | 1 in 1,900 |
| 31-40 | 1 in 200 |
| 41-50 | 1 in 50 |
| 51-60 | 1 in 23 |
| 61-70 | 1 in 15 |
| 71-80 | 1 in 11 |
| 81-85 | 1 in 10 |
Other risk factors
Gender
More women develop breast cancer than men.
Family history and genetic factors
If several family members have a history of breast cancer there is an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Periods and early menopause
There may be a slight increase in breast cancer for women who had their first period before the age of 12 and experienced the menopause after the age of 55.
Pregnancy
Women who have their first child after the age of 30 have a slightly increased risk of breast cancer, but the more children a woman has the risk decreases. Breast cancer risk increases for women who have not had children.
Breastfeeding
A woman has a reduced risk of developing breast cancer if she breastfeeds for at least one year.
Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
The longer a woman takes hormone replacement therapy increases the risk of breast cancer.
Contraceptive Pill
There is a slight increase in the incidence of breast cancer for women that take the contraceptive pill. This risk seems to disappear 10 years after stopping taking the contraceptive pill.
Height
Tall women have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Alcohol
For women who drink one unit of alcohol per day have an increased risk of developing breast cancer by 6%.
Proliferative benign breast conditions
For women who have been diagnosed with a benign breast condition and the cells have been described as “proliferative” then the risk of breast cancer is increased by up to five times.
Exposure to ionising radiation
Women who have been exposed to ionising radiation (this could be a radiation accident) have a greater risk of developing breast cancer and other cancers.