NON-MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS   MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS > Gender    Age   Personal breast cancer history   Family history   Proliferative breast conditions   Breast density   Early menstruation/ Late menopause    Radiation exposure   Reproduction   Breastfeeding   Hormone replacement therapy   Oral contraceptives   Body weight   Physical activity   Alcohol use   Tobacco smoke (for younger women)

GENDER

Gender is one of the strongest risk factors for breast cancer. While both men and women can develop breast cancer, women are much more likely than men to develop the disease.

In Canada, the probability that a woman will develop breast cancer in her lifetime is about 11%. In 2007, an estimated 22,300 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

During the same year, an estimated 170 men will be diagnosed. Men make up less than 1% of all breast cancer cases.

The difference may be explained by the fact that women have more breast cells than men, and in women those cells are exposed to higher levels of the hormones that promote cell growth.

Source: Canadian Cancer Society / National Cancer Institute of Canada. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2007, Toronto, Canada, 2007.