What do you think causes breast cancer?

Nancdancer

Trying to figure it out and curious what others think? What do I change in my life?

fizzdon52

I've thought long and hard about this and I just don't know. I actually think it's bad luck! I've heard all sorts of things like it's stress, alcohol, being overweight, plastic drink bottles, hormones in chicken and numerous other things. I know there are millions of overweight people and others who have well and truly punished their bodies and they will never get cancer. What makes me really mad is how getting breast cancer makes you feel guilty, like you deserve it, or you've done something wrong and it's all self inflicted! To me that is one of the cruelest aspects of getting breast cancer. Hopefully one day they will know and be able to prevent it.

leggo

I'm going to answer under the premise that breast cancer is present 5 to 7 years before diagnosis. Based on that, I'm pretty sure I know EXACTLY what caused mine. First, I lived in a house leaking radon for a whole year before I knew about it. Also, I cared more about my yard than my health and superfluously fertilized, round-upped, etc. Not unlike all the junk in make-up and personal care products...just didn't care. I also think that chemically treated water played a huge part. Pesticide treated food and processed foods played a part. Finally, a stressful event. Not the everyday kind of stress (though I'm sure that doesn't help), but the bring you to your knees kind of stress. All of the previous things combined...the stressful event was the final nail in the coffin.

I've changed EVERYTHING about my previous lifestyle. If only I could go back.....Thank gawd my children were young enough that I could change theirs.

IamNancy

For me, I think it was taking hormone replacement for a year during menopause...for younger women, maybe its birth control pills... who knows? Lets just hope the find out what it is for sure..

MelissaDallas

Actually research has been done & birth control pills only pose a very mimimal risk factor.

If they knew what caused it they could figure out how to prevent it. The problem is that breast cancer is an umbrella term for a lot of different kinds of cancers, so there is not a single "fix". Many women who did everything "right" still got breast cancer. We've got thin, fit,athletic, vegetarian,nonsmoker, nondrinkers here too.

Nancy2581

MelissaDallas,-I know they've done research and say birth control pills are only a minimal risk factor, but what about women like me who took it for years and years? That had to contribute. I think I started at around 20 and only went off when I had my two kids at 31 and 33. I was taking birth control pills at my diagnosis (age 51) because drs said it would help with menopause. Humph. I completely blame birth control pills for my cancer - either that or all the diet coke I drank for years and years.

Nancy

MelissaDallas

I figure it is just the luck of the genetic draw. I'm not going to beat myself up trying to figure out what I did "wrong " to get ovarian cancer & LCIS. Probably the same reason my dad's mom & sister both got colon cancer, though I tested negative for what they know now at this time for genetic syndromes.

The b/c pill studies were retroactive, so they did cover women who had taken them for long periods of time. I didn't say no risk factor, but it is very low. I went back on them for a couple of years in my late forties for perimenopausal bleeding. I don't believe they caused mine.

Women got breast cancer long before most of the things I see people trying to blame it on even existed. Cancer is a disease of aging. As fewer of us die of heart disease & things we've learned to prevent or successfully treat more of us will die of some kind of cancer. There was a very good article on that, I believe published in the NYTs

wrenn

Contributing is very different than causing. If any one of the things mentioned caused it then everyone with that characteristic would have breast cancer. Many things contribute and they all likely have to be in sync with other contributors for the symphony to begin.

Tresjoli2

i had multiple failed pregnancies and two live births. I often wonder if the constant hormone Flux from being pregnant and miscarrying multiple times had some effect. I do know that as soon as I was diagnised, my doctor said "stop taking your bc right now. Just to be safe" and I remember thinking...huh?

leggo

No way do I buy that cancer is a disease of aging. I know waaaayy too many people diagnosed before 30....with all kinds of cancer.  As a matter of fact, the pediatric cancer ward is huge and that's depressing as hell.

Suladog

I have had bc twice once in my 30's as a non smoking, non drinking, thin, running vegetarian...still got TN....then just last year, same life style only this time vegan and got HER2+. Triple positive bc. I never took hormones and was put into chemopause 25 yrs ago after my first round of chemo. I've had several types of genetic testing which turned up nothing. My drs seem to think ( I do too) that this all happened from being exposed to radiation as an infant as according to my life style I was doing everything right... Go figure! I find it insanely frustrating as it really does seem no one knows for sure what really causes bc as bc is such a tangle of different cancers, genetic factors etc.

jcfree

I had hysterectomy at 34 yr. and was put on HRT for eight years after it. I have thought that may have been a contributor. My first cousin also got BC after taking HRT for many years. I think it is a combination of things that come together to create the perfect storm (cancer). Stress I believe can play a part also, by stress I mean crushing, chronic stress over a long period of time which can play havoc on your health. So hard to know for sure. But as some of posters have written, they have strong intuition as to what elements played a part in their developing BC. Very interesting to read other's thoughts on this issue.

Lj061197

I was wondering this myself. I was on birth control for 15 years.

I am a healthy height and weight 5'7 143 pounds. . I excerise at least 30 minutes 6 days a week. Eat right no fast food . Drink socially no family history on mother or fathers side.

hodgy

I also thought long and hard on this! So many of us think there has to be a reason. I guess we think if there is a reason we should be able to fix it. At first I thought it was the hormones I took for years. I researched HRT long before I took it. I learned the risk factors were very small. So I took it and felt better. Then, BAM, one day I developed BC. I asked my surgeon if it caused my cancer. She said no. Estrogen doesn't cause cancer (if it did ALL women would have it!!) But estrogen "feeds" cancer - especially ER+/PR+ cancer. Which is exactly what I have! Irony! But listen to this.... When I researched risk factors for BC while taking estrogen it stated the risk was 1 in 1,000. Now I've also researched risk factors for developing uterine cancer while taking Tamoxifen. It's 3 in 1,000! The risk is still small but it's greater than when I took HRT - estrogen! And
Tamoxifen is what I'm taking now cause i don't want a recurrance! UGH!! We all have decisions to make. Once again, we will really never know what caused our cancer. But don't blame ourselves for all possibilities - it's too mind bogeling...

Meow13

I think BC goes after healthy bodies.

CAMommy

mine was hrt. I went on it two years ago and now this. I do not think it was a coincidence. I was only on estrogen and my DCIS was 70% estrogen positive.

katcar0001

For me, I think HRT that I went on for perimenopausal symptoms including sleep apnea, insomnia and joint pain. Maybe there was something small there for a long time that I never noticed as I have always had lumpy, dense breasts and cysts. However, THE lump seemed to appear overnight. Unfortunately, I ignored it for too long, even though it kept nagging at me. Anyway, when just on bio-identical progesterone, I didn't notice many changes. It wasn't until we added bio-identical estradiol with a tiny bit of estriol did I notice major changes in my breasts. I was only on it for one year :-(. My onc said I'd already helped my situation a great deal by going off HRT plus I am also on Tamoxifen. I am trying my best to cut out plastics, but here in Mexico, everything is packed in plastic, even the hydroponic lettuce :-(.

dtad

Its all a crap shoot if you ask me. Yes there are contributing factors but you will find an exception for every rule. I went on BC at 50 and then HRT at 55 for 7 years at time of dx. I asked my doc if that caused it. He said no. That most of his patients have NOT been on it. He also said that he finds that women who get BC while on HRT have a much less aggressive form of the disease. Go figure! This is coming from one of the top docs in NYC so he has see it all......

katcar0001

That is so interesting. And then I have a friend who was on BC for years and got TNBC. Crapshoot, you are right.

leggo

For me, a combination of toxic personal care products....antiperspirant being the big one, pesticides on my food and in my environment, poor diet choices, a house leaking radon and a "bring you to your knees" stressful event. The latter being the icing on the cake for catostrophic failure of my immune system. Not a doubt in my mind. Hindsight's a bitch.

MusicLover

I agree with Rose50, it's the devil. I am positive.

Englishmummy

Has anyone looked at blood type in regards to risk factors for breast cancer?

 I am blood type A+ and according to several articles I have read that alone is a greater risk for BC (along with a slew of other 'joyous' ailments). Possibly because A blood types can harbour more inflammation?

Just throwing it out there....

katcar0001

There was a discussion about this a while back. You might find it helpful:

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/79/topic/...

Englishmummy

Thanks, I did search and came up with nothing so I really appreciate that link

Englishmummy

ok, so I ran through it real quick and it got a little ugly on there....that sucks as it would have been a great discussion...

Nancy2581

Interesting. I am also A+. I'll have to go read that link - thanks.

Nancy

katcar0001

Yeah, unfortunately that thread did get rather snarky. Hopefully, things won't take that turn here ;-).

Castigame

for me i think

30% genes. Mom had thyroid ovarian and breast c and i had thyroid breast

30%probably me - 30 pounds overweight even though no smoking and only once a week glass of wine

40% stress. I knew my period was 120% out of whack which caused hormonal imbalance

Got genetic test done result pending probably i have to demand colonscopy and hysterectomy even though i am only 47

Got to lose weight - i sure do not want to go thru this again at any cost. Significant redux in bad food consumption

Jobwse i am going to find a way to have i job i like. Me and my hubby dont need a fancy car or house. Keep on searching

cliff

mine is due to mens bodies getting tired of us, at around 65 to 70, sometimes start converting testosterone to estrogen in our body fat. in an effort to get rid of us.

mustlovepoodles

I'm not sure that A+ blood is really a risk factor. Most people are A+, but the majority don't get BC.

I'm my case I probably got BC as a result of 2 gene mutations and very strong family history of breast and other cancers.

MinusTwo

Rebamafan - other than genetic issues - which aren't your fault - do NOT beat yourself up for even one minute that you 'caused' your cancer. Weight & stress are part of life. if you read the earlier posts, most of us have come down to the belief that in fact, it was the luck of the draw, or a crap shoot, or your number came up. If you want to get genetic testing - fine. Otherwise just try to live as healthy a life as you can without going overboard. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.