How likely am I to get breast cancer if my mother has it?

The causes of cancer are multi-factorial. For example, the following factors all play a role:

• Family history/genetics
• Lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise
• Body weight
• Smoking and alcohol
• Sleep habits
• Exposure to environmental cancer-causing chemicals

The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer in a woman is about 1 in 8. If you have a mom who had breast cancer before the age of 50, the risk is approximately doubled, especially if you inherited a certain gene mutation on BRCA1 and BRCA2.

You can also use the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool to find out your risk of breast cancer.

That said, women who test positive for BRCA mutations are usually followed up closely by their doctors with screening tools like breast MRI, and may even choose to prophylactically remove their breasts (a la Angelina Jolie) to completely prevent the risk of developing breast cancer.

These screening measures can cut the risk of developing cancer to below that of an average woman.

The next step for you to take should be to ask your doctor if you should be tested for the BRCA gene, as well as to ask him for recommendations about when to get screened.

Here are some other measures you can take to reduce your risk of breast cancer:

• Exercise regularly, and reduce your body fat
• Sleep regular hours (7 - 9 hours of sleep a day)
• Women who have more children, and at a younger age have a reduced risk of breast cancer.
• Limit your alcohol intake.
• Stop smoking and avoid exposure to smoke.

Hope that helps!