A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of developing cancer. 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.

The risk factors for inflammatory breast cancer are the same as those for other forms of breast cancer [2]. It is not known what specific factors can raise a person's risk of inflammatory breast cancer. While a family history of breast cancer in general may increase the risk of developing inflammatory breast cancer, to date, no gene mutation has been found specifically for this type of breast cancer.