Health Conditions

What causes it?

Although the exact cause of breast cancer is unknown, we do know the main risk factors that put people at risk. Most current evidence indicates that hypersensitivity of estrogen and/or progesterone-specific receptors within breast tissue are responsible for the majority of breast cancer cases. It is believed that these two hormones may be responsible for proliferation of breast cells and resultant tumor formation. For example, estrogen tells cells to divide; the more the cells divide, the more likely they are going to become abnormal in some way and possible cancerous.

Additionally, the mutations of two abnormal hereditary genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, have been found to play an important role in the development of breast cancer. It is estimated that about 1 in 200 women carries these genes and are therefore at a substantial greater risk for developing breast cancer.