Any substance or condition that increases a person’s chances of developing cancer is referred to as a risk factor.
There is no single cause of breast cancer, but some people are more likely than others to develop the disease. Just because you have some risk factors doesn’t mean that you will get breast cancer, but it does mean that your chances of developing it are higher.
The following factors are known to increase the risk of developing breast cancer:
Visit cancer.ca for more detailed information about these risk factors.
Nothing about being lesbian, bisexual or queer inherently increases our chances of getting breast cancer. But we are more likely to be exposed to certain risk factors. This is because on average, and in comparison to heterosexual women, we are:
A healthcare provider can help you determine your risk of breast cancer and provide you with a personal plan for screening. If you're at higher than average risk, you'll likely need to get checked more often or earlier. In general, high risk individuals are those who have a strong family history of breast cancer, and/or have gene mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.
Remember, there is no single cause of breast cancer, but having some risk factors may increase the risk of developing it. Some people develop breast cancer without having any of these risk factors.