Risk factors and causes

Overview Back to top

Things that can increase your risk of developing a disease are called risk factors. There are a number of risk factors that may slightly increase a woman’s risk of getting DCIS or breast cancer. However, women with no risk factors can develop DCIS, and there are women with risk factors who don’t get DCIS. The risk factors for DCIS and invasive breast cancer are similar.

Possible risk factors include: getting older, hormonal factors, a family history of breast cancer, some breast conditions and certain lifestyle factors.

 

Risk factors Back to top

Getting older

The risk of DCIS increases with age – it’s rare in young women.

Hormonal factors

Long, uninterrupted periods of exposure to the hormones oestrogen and progesterone can influence the risk of breast cancer. Factors that increase this are:

• if your period started at an early age
• if menopause starts late
• not having children or having them later in life.

Some breast conditions

Your risk is also higher if you’ve had:

• breast cancer before
• a type of non-cancerous (benign) breast disease called atypical hyperplasia.

Lifestyle factors

The following lifestyle factors may slightly increase your risk:

• drinking more than two units of alcohol every day over many years
• being overweight after the menopause.

Family history of breast cancer

Sometimes, DCIS is linked to an inherited breast cancer gene. This is more likely if there’s a strong history of breast cancer in a family. The chances of there being a breast cancer gene in your family increase if:

• several close relatives have had breast or ovarian cancer – close relatives, sometimes called first degree relatives, are your parents, children, brothers and sisters
• a close relative has had breast or ovarian cancer at a young age (under 40)
• a close relative has had breast cancer in both breasts.

The genes most commonly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in families are BRCA1 and BRCA2. If you’re concerned that there may be a history of breast cancer in your family, ask your GP or breast specialist to refer you to a family cancer clinic.

Online risk assessment

If you’re worried about your whether you may have an inherited genetic link for breast cancer, our website has an interactive software program called OPERA| (Online Personal Education and Risk Assessment) that gives you support and personalised information about your breast cancer risk.

OPERA isn’t intended to take the place of professional genetic counselling services, so if you’re concerned about genetic risk, you should still consult your doctor.