Blood relatives can be from either the mother's or father's side of the family.
White women are slightly more likely to develop breast cancer than are African-American women.
But African Americans are more likely to die of this cancer. Use of alcohol is clearly linked to increased risk of developing breast cancer. Compared with nondrinkers, women who consume one alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk, and those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily, have about 1.5 times the risk of women who drink no alcohol. Recommendations Women aged 40 and older should have a screening mammogram every year. Between the ages of 20 and 39, women should have a clinical breast examination by a health professional every 3 years.