Breast Cancer
Risk Factors

Your Breast Cancer Risk Tool

Click the Breast Cancer Risk Calculator from The Siteman Cancer Center to help determine what may affect your chances of being diagnosed with breast cancer and what you can do to reduce your risk.

Other Breast Cancer Risks May Include:

• Long-term use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
• Personal history of breast cancer or non-cancerous breast diseases.
• Family history of breast cancer (on either your mother’s or father’s side of the family).
• Treatment with radiation therapy to the breast/chest.
• Exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) (i.e., if you took DES during pregnancy or your mother took DES during her pregnancy with you).
• Dense breasts that make it harder to read a mammogram.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Night-shift work.

Some women will develop breast cancer even without any known risk factors, but having breast cancer risk factors does not mean you will get the disease. Most women have some risk factors and most women do not get breast cancer. If you do have breast cancer risk factors, talk with your health professional and check out this page to help lower your risk.