Breast cancer risk

[breasticle]

Aibu that this is playing on my mind?

23&me recently wrote to me to say that my chance of breast cancer was 18% (before 70) apparently this is "increased likelihood"

I had also been tested for a few common variants of the BRCA genes... negative

I am partially Ashkenazi Jewish (5%)

A paternal aunt died of very aggressive breast cancer in her 30s (this was back in the 1980s so treatment is much improved now)

Her daughter is well as far as I know (lives far away and don't see each other)

My parents are in their 70s and well

Wonder why I have increased likelihood?

"This report combines the impact of many common variants that each have a small effect on the likelihood of developing breast cancer."

Would you do anything in this case to reduce risk? Test more etc?

My paternal aunt died in her early 30’s (in the 1960’s) of an aggressive breast cancer. I was recently called back after a routine mammogram for further screening they said as it was paternal it didn’t increase my risk.

I would be wondering what 23&me were getting out of writing that information to you.

what other information do they take? Lifestyle factors? Family history?

im not sure i would say 18%is a massive increase in risk.

I mean, I can see why it might play on your mind but risk of lots of diseases can be mitigated by limiting alcohol, good cardiovascular exercise, a well balanced diet.

and also having said that
my gran did all of those things and still passed away with acute pancreatitis

I think something like one in seven or eight women develop breast cancer in their lifetime (I am one of them).

Some of those would be after age 70, but even so, a risk of 18% (somewhere between one in five and one in six) does not sound to me like a massively increased risk.

It is the commonest cancer for women, and treatments and survival rates have vastly improved since your aunt's experience.

I would try not worry about it too much, but follow all the usual guidance about checking your breasts, and try to reduce other risk factors, eg drinking alcohol, being overweight etc.

You don't say how old you are now, but it could also be worth reading up about the slightly elevated risks with some hormonal contraception and/or HRT.

Should also say DM developed breast cancer at 70 after taking HRT for 20 years she took tamoxifen the only advise was don’t take HRT (which I don’t).
Im obviously older than you and maybe as you get older you realise that you can get all sorts of things that could potentially kill and there’s not a lot you can do about it so I try and eat healthily most of the time do some exercise, dont smoke barely drink alcohol and just enjoy my life as much as possible. And I agree with @StuffLoriThangs 18% increase isn’t that huge.