Breast Cancer: Causes and Prevention

Running head: BREAST CANCER 1
Health Issue: Breast Cancer
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BREAST CANCER 2
Health Issue: Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a widely known cancer that embeds itself in the cells of a human breast.
In Australia alone, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type in females. The following
estimates indicate a prevalence of breast cancer across the years from 2011 to 2017. Despite
slight differences in the incidences, statistically, there was a high prevalence in the 50-69 years
and 70-84 years.
The incidences in women 50 years and below is low as compared to the two other age
brackets. Going by the projections of the estimates, breast cancer will be the topmost diagnosed
cancer come late 2019. In terms of mortality, 2016 had a high number of deaths from breast
cancer in Australia. The figure is approximately 3000 deaths. The year 2018 marked 1 in 77
persons dying from breast cancer before clocking 85 years (Yu et al., 2014). When it comes to
breast cancer there are a couple of factors that shape this health issue. They include but not
limited to excessive weight gain (obesity), alcohol, and cigarette smoking.
Year Count of Breast Cancer
less 50 years 50 to 69 years 70 to 84 years Overall
201
1
5775 (10.6%) 29,882 (54.2%) 19,374 (35.3%
)
55,031
201
3
5610 (9.3%) 32,606 (54.8%) 21,185 (35.8%
)
59,401
201
5
5421 (8.4%) 35,066 (54.8%) 23,428 (36.7%
)
63,787
201
7
5293 (7.9%) 37,005 (54.1%) 26,327 (38.5%
)
68,625
Estimates of the yearly prevalence of breast cancer

BREAST CANCER 3
Ideally, weight management is a bit challenging for most middle-income families in
Australia. Being overweight puts an individual at a somewhat high risk of serious health
conditions such as cancer and heart disease (Branley, 2019). For the women population, being
overweight especially after menopause raises the risk of breast cancer. This is backed by the fact
that being overweight means more fat tissues that can possibly raise the chances of getting breast
cancer due to the high levels of estrogen. Additionally, overweight women are at more risk due
to high insulin levels which are also tied to some cancers such as breast cancer (Miller et al.,
2018). The connection between weight gain and the risk of getting breast is somewhat complex.
However, it is almost a certainty that weight increase is closely attributed to health deterioration
in breast cancer patients. This is backed by a couple of observational studies that demonstrate
that exercise and weight loss better antitumor immunity, counters high estrogen levels, lowers
inflamed microenvironment in overweight patients, and overall better outcomes.
Cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption are among the widely known and modifiable
risk factors associated with breast cancer. When it comes to these two factors as causes of breast
cancer, there is a linear relationship. Precisely, tobacco is composed of chemicals that increase
the incidence of hormones that cause breast cancer in both active and passive smoking (Meyer et
al., 2019). On the flip side, alcohol is known to increase estrogen levels and other hormones that
could cause breast cancer. Additionally, DNA cells are at risk of getting damaged by alcohol
intake thus resulting in breast cancer. In a comparison of women who drink versus who do not
drink at all, those who take 3 or more drinks on a weekly basis have a 15% likelihood of getting
breast cancer (Breast cancer statistics | Breast cancer, 2019). For an extra drink regularly
consumed on a day to day basis, the risk of breast cancer further escalates by 10%.