Close to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are hereditary, meaning they are caused when the child receives certain abnormal genes present in the parent. Mostly, inherited cases of breast cancer are caused due to mutations in two specific genes, namely BRCA gene 1 and BRCA gene 2, wherein the BRCA gene refers to the breast cancer gene.

Risk factors
There are certain genetic as well as other risk factors of breast cancer. These are discussed below.

1. Being female
The primary risk associated with breast cancer is being female. Although there have been some occurrences of breast cancer in men as well, the cases are rare, and most of the time, the cancer is found in women only.

2. Presence of breast cancer in families
There are chances that breast cancer runs in the family if any of your immediate family members or close relatives have been diagnosed with breast cancer. One should also look out for multiple cases of breast cancer in the family, further ensuring that cancer might be hereditary.

3. Having developed breast cancer in the past
If a person has been diagnosed with breast cancer due to hereditary reasons or otherwise, there are chances that cancer will also develop in some other part of the breast or the other breast. This is not the same as recurrence of same cancer as the development will be in another area. The risk of having breast cancer in this manner is low. However, it increases as one grows older.

Lifestyle changes
Certain lifestyle changes can be taken if you know that you have genetics associated with breast cancer.

1. Maintaining a healthy weight
One of the most important factors to take care of if you have breast cancer in your family is ensuring that you maintain a healthy weight. This is even more important with growing age as there are more chances of breast cancer in older women.

2. Regular physical exercise
It is also suggested to exercise regularly if there have been hereditary cases of breast cancer.

3. Avoiding alcohol
What we eat has a big impact on the chances of breast cancer. One should not consume alcohol and should eat nutritious food to avoid the possibility of cancer.

4. Quit smoking
Like other cancers, smoking can increase the chances of breast cancer as well. It is better to quit the habit as it can harm you in more ways than one.