## 3 Results  
### Baseline Characteristics and Exposure to Risk Factors  
A total of 1389 women chose to participate. The responses from the group with a family history of cancer were separately analyzed for two groups: Group A, which included women who had not been diagnosed with cancer, and Group B, consisting of those who had received a cancer diagnosis. Table 1 presents the demographics and risk factor exposure for the participants. The median age in Group A was 46 years old compared to 54 in the tumor group (\(p<0.001\)). The BMI further differentiated the groups (\(p=0.01\)). Similar results were found in both groups regarding smoking habits, with more smokers and ex-smokers in the tumor group. Group A also had a lower median of long-term smokers (17.02) compared to Group B (21.52), (\(p\) = 0.009). No difference was found in the number of cigarettes smoked. As shown in Table 1, the demographic characteristics of the study participants revealed key differences between the healthy group and those diagnosed with breast cancer. The mean age of participants in Group B was significantly higher than that in Group A, which aligns with the understanding that the breast cancer risk increases with age. Additionally, the BMI distribution suggests a potential link between a higher body mass and the breast cancer incidence (\(p\) = 0.01). Figure 1 shows that the BMI was slightly higher in Group B, supporting this association. Smoking habits, while not significantly different in terms of the number of cigarettes smoked, showed a trend toward a longer smoking duration in Group B, which could indicate a cumulative risk factor. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l} \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{l}{**Group A Healthy Subjects**} & \multicolumn{2}{l}{**Group B Subjects**} \\  & **with a Family History of** & **with Cancer** & **with Cancer** \\  & **Breast Cancer (n = 473)** & **(n = 916)** & **\(p\)-Value** \\  & **N (\%)** & **N (\%)** & \\ \hline Age & & & \\ Range & 18–93 & 26–95 & \textless{}0.001 \\ Median & 47.00 & 55.53 & *** \\ STD & 16.47 & 12.44 & \\ \hline Indicate body weight (kg) & & & \\ Range & 40–130 & 42–154 & \\ Median & 64.00 & 67.00 & 0.26 \\ STD & 15.44 & 14.22 & \\ \hline Indicates height (cm) & & & \\ Range & 146–183 & 144–188 & \\ Median & 165.00 & 162.00 & 0.02 * \\ STD & 6.20 & 6.42 & \\ \hline Body mass index (BMI) & & & \\ Range & 16–48 & 17–69 & 0.01 ** \\ Median & 23.45 & 25.87 & \\ STD & 6.08 & 5.34 & \\ \hline Being a smoker & & & \\ No & 130 (27.5) & 455 (49.7) & \\ Yes & 36 (7.6) & 100 (10.9) & 0.28 \\ Ex-smoker & 24 (5.1) & 106 (11.6) & \\ Missing & 283 (59.8) & 255 (27.8) & \\ \hline Smoking duration (years) & & & \\ Range & 1–46 & 2–61 & \\ Median & 15.00 & 20.00 & 0.009 ** \\ STD & 11.99 & 11.90 & \\ \hline Number of cigarettes & & & \\ smoked & & & \\ Range & 1–30 & 1–40 & 0.91 \\ Median & 10.00 & 10.00 & \\ STD & 6.26 & 6.56 & \\ \hline \end{tabular} \({}^{*}p<0.05\); **\(p<0.01\); *** \(p<0.001\).  
\end{table} 
Table 1: Socio-demographic characteristics and risk factor exposure. *\(p<0.05\); ***\(p<0.001\). Table 2 provides an in-depth look at the hormonal dynamics and reproductive histories of the participants. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l} \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Group A Healthy Subjects with a**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Group B Subjects**} \\  & **Family History of Breast Cancer** & **with Cancer** & \\  & **(n = 473)** & **(n = 916)** & \(p\)**-Value** \\  & **N (\%)** & **N (\%)** & \\ \hline \multicolumn{4}{l}{**Age at menarche**} \\ \textless{}45 & & & \\ Range & 9–16 & 9–16 & \\ Median & 12.00 & 12.00 & 0.40 \\ STD & 1.43 & 1.53 & \\ \(\geq\)45 & & & \\ Range & 9–17 & 9–18 & \\ Median & 12.41 & 12.44 & 0.79 \\ STD & 12.00 & 12.00 & \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: Hormonal dynamics among respondents. A cutoff of 45 years old was utilized to distinguish between women of childbearing age and those potentially beyond childbearing age, nearing menopause. Figure 1: Boxplot comparing the body mass index (BMI) between Group A (healthy) and Group B (cancer-affected).