Age (breast cancer signs symptoms)

Breast cancer signs symptoms

Age

The biggest single risk factor for breast cancer is age- the wear and tear of living-and, of course, that risk is always increasing. The average age of woman diagnosed with breast cancer is in her early 60s. This does not mean that younger woman in their 20s, 30s, and 40s don't get breast cancer, because they do; it simply means that, the older a woman gets, the greater her likehood of getting breast cancer, taking into account other risk factors. All women are different, and not all women over 60 will get breast cancer, they are simply, on average, more likely to get it than a woman in her 40s or 50s. The statistics mentioned-that 1 in 8 women will have breast cancer in her lifetime- is frightening, but it is a cumulative statistics, covering a lifetime for over 70 years. More specific statistics, which account for a woman's age, tell a different ( and somewhat more reassuring) story: a woman in her late 30s, for instance, has about a 1 in 257 chance of getting breast cancer, whereas a woman in her mid-50s has about a 1 in 36 chance. The risk increase exponentially after age 30, but even in women 80 years old, the chance of developing cancer is roughly 1 in 24. So what does this mean? It means that, as women age, they need to be vigilant about watching for signs of changes in their breasts, because their risk has increased.
Breast Cancer signs Symptoms