Breast cancer is the second most widespread disease found today. Above all, genetic cancers are also common. Your risk of having this cancer automatically increases if your mother had breast cancer. It's said to pass on to you genetically by default. Almost 1 out of every 8 women globally seem to have breast cancer at some point throughout their lives. This contributes to 12% overall.
Researchers say that having family-like breast cancer can increase your risk of having it too. But who had it in your family line and by what degree they had the breast cancer also matters? For example, if your mother had breast cancer, then your chances of having it also increase. If your aunt or siblings, nephews had breast cancer, then your chances of also having it are slightly less. This is how the degree is measured.
Researchers say that the first-degree relative can increase your chances of having breast cancer by almost 24%. The first-degree relative includes your parents and siblings.
With the help of this article, you will be able to grasp in-depth knowledge about how your mother's breast cancer can indeed affect your health as an individual.
Your Risk of Breast Cancer if Your Mother Had Breast Cancer
Eventually your risk of getting breast cancer increases by more than 20% if your mother had been a victim of it. If you have a dense breast, then it's more likely that the breast cancer cells have been passed on to you by your mother. These dense breasts hold more of the connective tissue rather than the fatty tissues. It can lead to late diagnosis of a tumor in your breast. It's also certain that women who had breast cancer once in their life are likely to have it again in their lifetime. Henceforth, the chances of you getting the same from your mother increase with this concept. If your mother has the radiation therapy early in her mid 20's or early 30's, then it's a big sign that she is more close to getting these breast cancer cells again in her body after crossing her 50's. Even hormone replacement therapy also heightens the risk of breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Risk - Red Flags
You can find out the red flags if you as an individual are also holding the signs of generating breast cancer. Following are the red flags that you must know and based on which your actions should take place.
- Mother having more than one type of cancer
- Family members having cancer in your family line before the age of 50 years
- Multiple relatives having the same cancers
- Your mother has a combination of cancers like uterine cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma, and prostate cancer.
- Your grandparents suffering from cancer after reaching 60 years of age
- Your mother having one organ cancer like bilateral breast or ovarian cancer.
If you find any such type of red flags in your family, you must get yourself a check-up as soon as possible. These red flags are a pathway to tell you about your forthcoming problem. So, it's always better to get yourself treated on time so that you can recover soon.
Genetic Counseling Session
Before testing, you will have a counseling session with a genetic counselor. The concerned person will tell you about the instance of these tests, ask about your family history and let you know the areas of concern. It will also help you understand your risk of getting affected by this disease at some time in your life. It is because everybody is affected differently by it. Every gene mutation doesn't release the risk of breast cancer to the same degree. It varies based on the multiple cases and family history line. Researchers also revealed that almost 70% of the women have the mutation from breast cancer. Apart from this other mutation heightens the risk of getting the breast cancer by almost 50%. It comes to 1 out of every 6 women having breast cancer instead of 1 out of every 8 women.
Family Discussion about Breast Cancer
You should connect and discuss with your family member about what all types of cancer they've faced and at what point in time, how long is left, and how they cured it. You need to have an open mind while discussing such things with your family line. Since they are the ones who themselves have gone through it, it will eventually increase your chances of surviving it in a much better way with their support. Ask them about all the instances they faced, and what they did to overcome this phase of their life. Please understand that the more clarity you have, the more are the chances of you surviving this breast cancer with ease taking all the necessary precautions in advance.
Your mother plays a vital role here, if she had breast cancer in your family line, increasing your chances to inherit the same. Other people in your family like an aunt, uncle, and siblings, close cousins if ever have this disease then also you should be careful.
Key Takeaways
Irrespective of your family members going through or having breast cancer sometime in their life can increase your risk of cancer too. Breast cancers have become more common than ever. With the help of the right treatment, more and more people can survive for years once they get to know about their breast cancer problem. But, more than this risk can be minimized on your own once you connect with the right team of specialists. While connecting with the breast cancer specialists, open up to them from tip to toe. Tell them everything about your family history line of breast cancers especially when your mother, sibling, aunt has had breast cancer. Based on this, the doctor will be able to diagnose your issue in a much better manner. Make sure to go for the checkups every year even if you didn't have any symptoms today.
Reference
https://www.verywellhealth.com/mother-daughter-breast-cancer-risk-430161