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The breast cancer it is the most frequent female neoplasm but today, thanks to the progress of research, it is less and less scary. What was once a difficult-to-heal disease is in fact turning into one pathology more and more treatableabove all if diagnosed early. Knowing what are the factors that can increase (or decrease) the risk of getting sick is therefore the first step to prevent and avoid the worst consequences of the disease.
Breast cancer and hormones
Female hormones play a major role in determining the risk of developing breast cancer. The estrogen and progesterone are in fact able to stimulate the growth of cells in the mammary gland, by binding to specific receptors present on the cell surface. Unfortunately, cancer cells are able to exploit this mechanism and express a greater number of hormone receptors to reproduce and grow in an uncontrolled way. Positivity to hormone receptors is a feature that is also used in the treatment of breast cancer, as there are drugs that can counteract the action of hormones and thus inhibit the ability of cancer cells to divide.
Does pregnancy protect against breast cancer?
Several studies conducted in recent years indicate that pregnancy and breastfeeding reduce the risk of developing breast cancer but only if the pregnancy occurs at a young age, i.e. between 20-25 years, while having a child after the age of 30 does not influence the risk of developing the disease. The protective effect is linked to the fact that during pregnancy the menstrual cycle is interrupted, thus reducing the exposure of the mammary gland cells to estrogen. Also, both the pregnancy and lactation promote the maturation of the glandular tissues of the breast, protecting them from tumor transformations.
How much do the age of first menstruation and the onset of menopause affect the risk of breast cancer?
As we have seen, how much the longer a woman is exposed to estrogen, the higher the risk of developing breast cancer, therefore reproductive lifespan also has a significant impact on the risk of developing this disease. According to recent estimates, for each year of menarche delay after age 11 there is a 20 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancerwhile those who go through menopause before the age of 45 have a half risk of developing the disease compared to those who go there after the age of 55.
To know more
If you want to know more about lung cancer, download the manual “Breast cancer: questions and answers from diagnosis to after treatment “ made by Umberto Veronesi Foundation
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