Article: Breast cancer risk factors: are they taken too seriously? (includes related article)

For years, women have been told that having a mother or sister with breast cancer places them at extremely high risk for developing the disease, but a recent study sharply reduces the estimate. The new finding is yet another modification in the laundry list of factors that are purportedly associated with higher rates of breast cancer.

It's time to take a hard look at breast cancer risk factors, what they mean, and how they can be used to manipulate women into making some questionable medical decisions. At best, risk factors can motivate people to make lifestyle changes, such as consuming a low-fat diet, or to seek mammography screening. At worst, they can become ...

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