Risk Factors

A risk factor is anything that increases a person’s chance of developing cancer. Some risk factors can be controlled, such as smoking, and some cannot be controlled, such as age and family history. Although risk factors can influence the development of cancer, most directly do not cause cancer. Some people with several risk factors never develop cancer, while others with no known risk factors do. However, knowing your risk factors and communicating them to your doctor can help you make more informed lifestyle and health-care choices.

It is not known what factors can raise a person’s risk of inflammatory breast cancer. A family history of inflammatory breast cancer may increase the risk of developing the disease, but to date, no gene mutation has been found specifically for this type of breast cance