However, a woman whose mother, sister, daughter, or grandmother had breast cancer has an increased risk. If I don't have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, I won't get breast cancer. Just because you do not have a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, you can still get breast cancer. Women with more than one risk factor are the ones who typically get breast cancer. A majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no known risk factors.
All women are at risk.
You can prevent breast cancer. Because the cause of breast cancer is not yet fully known, there is no way to absolutely prevent it, although the antiestrogen drug tamoxifen can help reduce the risk. Early detection and treatment are the keys to surviving breast cancer. If I had a mammogram every year, I would be exposed to too much radiation, and that would cause cancer. The small level of radiation from x-rays and mammograms is not enough to cause cancer.