Am I at Risk for Breast Cancer?

Some risks can be controlled, while others cannot.

Some risk factors for breast cancer, such as your family history, cannot be controlled. However, other factors can be, such as drinking alcohol and having excess weight. Knowing your breast cancer risk factors helps you make informed choices about your lifestyle and cancer screenings.

Risks within your control include:

  • Use of oral contraceptives. Taking birth control pills slightly increases your breast cancer risk compared with women who have never used them.
  • Drinking alcohol. Breast cancer risk goes up if you drink just one glass of wine, beer, or mixed drink a day. The more you drink, the higher your risk.
  • Your diet. Choose to eat healthy foods, rather than foods high in fat.
  • Long-term use of estrogen and progestin medicines after menopause. Known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Using HRT for two or more years may create a higher chance of breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the right course of treatment for you.
  • Excess weight, especially after menopause. Overall, your risk of breast cancer is lower if you stay at a healthy weight with a body mass index (BMI) below 25.

Other breast cancer risks:

  • Sex. Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men.
  • Ethnicity. Caucasian women develop breast cancer slightly more often than other ethnicities.
  • Age. Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55.
  • Personal history. If you’ve had cancer in one breast, you are at risk of having it in the other breast.
  • Previous chest radiation. If you’ve had high-dose radiation to your chest, you have an increased risk. (The small doses used for breast cancer screenings do not increase your risk.)
  • Family history. Having a parent, sibling, or child with breast cancer increases your risk.
  • Benign breast disease. Women with certain benign breast conditions, such as hyperplasia or atypical hyperplasia have an increased risk.
  • Diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure. Women who took this medicine while pregnant to lower the chance of miscarriage are at higher risk. Women whose mothers took DES during pregnancy may also have a higher risk.
  • Early menstrual periods. Women whose periods began before age 12 have a higher risk of breast cancer.
  • Late menopause. Women are at a slightly higher risk if they started menopause after age 55.
  • Not giving birth or giving birth to your first child after age 30. These women have a slightly higher breast cancer risk.
  • Dense breast tissue. Women whose breasts have significant areas of dense tissue on mammograms are at increased risk for breast cancer.
  • Breast cancer genes. Inherited changes in genes can be another risk factor and account for 5-10% of all breast cancer cases. Learn more about breast cancer genes.

Worried about your breast cancer risks? Find an RWJBarnabas Health physician to discuss it with.

To contact one of New Jersey’s best breast cancer specialists call
844-CANCERNJ or 844-226-2376.

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16 East 29th Street
Bayonne, NJ 07002
(973) 926-7280
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377 Jersey Avenue
Ground Floor, Medical Office Building
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(877) 393-5374
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Center for Breast Health and Disease Management - Westfield
560 Springfield Ave
Westfield, NJ 07090
(973) 322-7020
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Barnabas Health Ambulatory Care Center
200 South Orange Avenue
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 322-7000
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Community Medical Center’s Comprehensive Breast Center
368 Lakehurst Rd
1st Floor
Toms River, NJ 08755
(732) 557-3363
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4013 Route 9
Suite 2S
Howell, NJ 07731
(732) 923-7700
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The Jacqueline M. Wilentz Breast Center at Colts Neck
310 Route 34 South
Second Floor
Colts Neck, NJ 07722
(732) 923-7700
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Madeline Fiadini LoRe Foundation Infusion Center
414 Grand Street
Suite 9
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 915-2730
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The Jacqueline M. Wilentz Breast Center at Monmouth Medical Center
300 Second Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
(732) 923-7700
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Jersey City Medical Center Radiation Oncology
631 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ 07304
(844) 226-2376
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Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
94 Old Short Hills Road
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 322-5000
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Monmouth Medical Center
300 Second Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
(732) 222-5200
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Clara Maass Medical Center
1 Clara Maass Drive
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(973) 450-2000
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Community Medical Center
99 Highway 37 West
Toms River, NJ 08755
(732) 557-8000
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Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
201 Lyons Avenue at Osborne Terrace
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 926-7000
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Children's Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
201 Lyons Avenue at Osborne Terrace
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 926-7000
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Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
195 Little Albany St.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 235-2465
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Jersey City Medical Center
355 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 915-2000
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The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at RWJUH
200 Somerset Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 828-3000
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RWJ University Hospital Rahway
865 Stone Street
Rahway, NJ 07065
(732) 381-4200
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RWJ University Hospital Somerset
110 Rehill Avenue
Somerville, NJ 08876
(908) 685-2200
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The Jacqueline M. Wilentz Breast Center at Lakewood
600 River Ave
Lakewood, NJ 08701
(732) 923-7700
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Trinitas Regional Medical Center – Williamson Street Campus
225 Williamson St
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(908) 994-5000
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The Unterberg Children's Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center
300 2nd Avenue
Long Branch, NJ 07740
(732) 923-7250
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Monmouth Medical Center Outpatient Infusion Center
100 State Route 36 West
West Long Branch, NJ 07764
(732) 222-6046
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RWJ University Hospital Hamilton
1 Hamilton Health Place
Hamilton, NJ 08690
(609) 586-7900
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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
1 Robert Wood Johnson Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 828-3000
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Jersey City Medical Center Women's Health at Grove Street
116 Newark Avenue
(at Grove Street PATH Plaza)
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 984-1270
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Center for Breast Health and Disease Management - Livingston
200 South Orange Avenue
Suite 102
Livingston, NJ 07039
(973) 322-7020
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Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus
600 River Avenue
Lakewood, NJ 08701
(732) 363-1900
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The Family Health Center (FHC) at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
166 Lyons Avenue
Newark, NJ 07112
(973) 926-7000
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Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
125 Paterson Street
Clinical Academic Building (CAB)
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 235-6200
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Community Medical Center Women’s Imaging Center – Barnegat
770 Lighthouse Drive
Suite 118A
Barnegat, NJ 08005
(848) 208-6203
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Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group at Monroe
800 Bunn Drive
Suite 303
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 655-5178
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Laurie Proton Therapy Center
141 French Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732) 253-3176
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Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group
18 Centre Drive
Clinical Academic Building (CAB)
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(609) 655-5178
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Cancer Center at RWJ Hamilton
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