Prevention: Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Risk Reduction
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PREVENTION Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Risk Reduction Knowledge Summary PREVENTION Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Risk Reduction INTRODUCTION KEY SUMMARY Preventive services are often a lower priority in the spectrum of Prevention planning cancer care and thus receive less funding and attention. How- ¬ Integrate prevention programs into breast cancer ever, reducing the incidence of breast cancer can affect quality control programs. of life for women as well as reduce health care expenditures. The goal of primary breast cancer prevention is to protect women ¬ Use evidence-based guidelines on breast cancer prevention. from developing breast cancer. The goal of secondary breast Update guidelines as new research informs clinical practice. cancer prevention is to prevent recurrence of breast cancer. ¬ Include breast cancer prevention messages in breast Breast cancer prevention should be integrated into comprehen- health awareness campaigns developed through communi- sive breast cancer control programs and complement breast ty and expert consensus building. cancer awareness and early diagnosis efforts. Experts suggest ¬ Consider the risks and benefits of various prevention strate- that if maximal benefit was achieved through prevention pro- gies in developing breast cancer prevention programs. grams, 20–50% of breast cancers could be avoided. ¬ Assess and address existing barriers and sociocultural beliefs about risk factors and prevention in the target community. Breast cancer is likely caused by a combination of hormonal factors (physiologic and therapeutic), genetic factors, other Training and education nonhormonal physiological factors (e.g., age) and environmental ¬ Include breast cancer risk assessment, breast health and lifestyle factors. Population-based risk assessments can help counseling and breast cancer prevention strategies inform prevention programs in general, whereas, individual risk including general lifestyle modification strategies, as well assessments can help inform patient-centered breast cancer as potential medical intervention strategies in health pro- care. Approximately 50% of newly diagnosed breast cancer cases fessional training. are related to hormonal factors. Only an additional 5–10% of ¬ Ensure individual preventative interventions include risk breast cancer cases are associated with genetic factors, although assessment and counseling to discuss appropriateness of genetic factors are known to significantly increase the risk of prevention activities or medical interventions, based on a breast cancer. Research has identified physiological, environmen- woman’s risk factors and preferences. tal and lifestyle factors related to breast cancer incidence, some of which are modifiable through preventive interventions (see Prophylactic approaches Table 2). Research continues to identify other breast cancer risks, and some previously reported risks have been disproven or found ¬ Include lifestyle modification programs, including weight to have an inconclusive association with breast cancer risk. management and exercise programs, in population-based and individual breast cancer prevention programs. Breast cancer prevention has three components: 1) behavior ¬ Consider prophylactic pharmacologic therapy (e.g., tamox- or lifestyle modifications (e.g., diet, exercise, alcohol consump- ifen) for inclusion in breast cancer prevention programs for tion); 2) pharmacologic intervention (e.g., tamoxifen) and/or select at-risk women. 3) prophylactic surgery (e.g., mastectomy). Although certain ¬ Prophylactic surgery must only be considered for select breast cancer risk factors cannot be modified (e.g., aging, age high-risk women with established susceptibility factors who at menarche or menopause, family history), and other risk have completed appropriate counseling. factors—such as not having breastfed—are not necessarily modifiable for all, it is possible to address some risk factors, Resource-stratified pathways across the such as obesity, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity, continuum of care which are known to improve an individual’s general health and ¬ Develop programs based on identified needs and barriers, reduce breast cancer risk. outcome goals and available resources. Studies to date have not evaluated the economics of breast can- ¬ Pursue a defined resource-stratified pathway appropriate cer prevention efforts, but as data become available, preventive for available resources to ensure coordinated investment efforts can be better understood in terms of their long-term and incremental program development across the contin- cost-effectiveness. Risk assessment is a critical component of uum of care. cost-effective prevention programs as it can identify higher-risk patients for targeted prevention activities. Thus, health profes- sionals must be well educated in both options—efforts to pre- vent breast cancer that improve the overall health of patients, and interventions targeting high-risk women, such as surgery to remove breasts and/or ovaries, that may have risks and side effects that are unacceptable for many patients, despite their protective effect against breast cancer. 2 Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Risk Reduction POINTS FOR POLICYMAKERS: Planning Step 2: Where do we want to be? Set objectives and priorities ¬ Include preventive lifestyle modification recommendations OVERVIEW in breast cancer awareness education efforts. ¬ Planning effective prevention efforts depends on social, Preplanning cultural and political acceptability of prevention interven- ¬ Identify data sources to estimate disease burden and domi- tions such as reducing harmful use of alcohol or combating nant risk factors. obesity as part of lifestyle modification efforts. ¬ Identify who will lead the process as well as stakeholders to ¬ Prioritize prevention interventions based on popula- be engaged. tion-based risk assessments. Planning Step 1: Where are we now? Planning Step 3: How do we get there? Investigate and assess Implement and evaluate ¬ Assess existing primary prevention programs. ¬ Integrate breast cancer prevention into existing services. ¬ Assess existing sociocultural beliefs about breast cancer ¬ Determine the health system primary access point for risk factors and prevention in the target community. women seeking counseling on breast cancer prevention and ¬ Identify structural, sociocultural, personal and financial provide educational support and risk assessment tools to barriers to prevention interventions. health professionals at these access points. ¬ Examine existing and potential outreach partnerships and ¬ Monitor and evaluate. collaborations for prevention programs. ¬ Risk assessment is a critical component of cost-effective approaches to prevention as it can identify high-risk pa- tients for targeted prevention. Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Risk Reduction 3 breast cancer. However, there are no data that suggest that WHAT WE KNOW current radiation therapy practices administered as part of Risk Factors breast cancer treatment (i.e., radiation therapy after lumpec- tomy) increases the risk of developing a second breast cancer. Genetic factors: Genetic factors are known to be involved in In addition, mammography and chest x-rays do not appear to increasing the risk of a number of cancers, including breast increase breast cancer risk. cancer. A woman’s inherited genetic profile affects her risk of developing breast cancer. Approximately 5–10% of breast Hormonal and reproductive factors: Endogenous hormones cancers are attributable to genetic factors. The most com- (hormones produced within the body’s cells), particularly mon breast cancer susceptibility genes are BRCA1, BRCA2, estrogen exposure, play a role in breast cell growth and PTEN (Cowden syndrome) and TP53 (Li-Fraumeni syndrome). proliferation. Elevated or prolonged endogenous estrogen Research continues to explore additional susceptibility genes, levels are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in as well as gene–environment interactions. Each child of a parent postmenopausal women. Known risk factors for breast cancer with a mutation has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation. are associated with reproductive factors that extend natural For persons with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, the estimated risk exposure to hormones produced by the ovaries, such as early of developing breast cancer by 70 years of age is about 55–65% onset of menstruation, late onset of menopause, late age at for BRCA1 and 45–47% for BRCA2. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations first pregnancy (i.e., more than 30 years of age) and never can be inherited from either parent. Genetic mutations may vary having given birth. Laboratory evidence also suggests that by ethnic group (e.g., studies of women in sub-Saharan Africa, higher levels of other endogenous hormones (such as insulin Asia and Latin America identified variable rates of BRCA1 and and insulin-like growth factor [IGF]), may play a role in breast BRCA2 mutations ranging from 0.5–18% when testing mod- cancer development. erate- to high-risk populations). Genetic testing requires both laboratory expertise and genetic counseling services, which are Therapeutic or exogenous estrogen hormones: The use of often not available in low-resource settings. prolonged hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after meno- pause has been associated with an increased risk of breast Family history of breast cancer: One’s risk of developing breast cancer. In a large randomized trial, women who took the com- cancer increases with the number