In Mexico, this disease represents one of the leading causes of death in women; in 2019, for every 100,000 women aged 20 years or older, 35.24 new cases of breast cancer were reported. Nationally, the death rate from breast cancer is 17.19 deaths per 100,000 women aged 20 years and older. In recent years, the number of deaths caused by this disease has increased alarmingly, mainly due to the delay in the start of treatment, either due to the delay in seeking medical attention after a woman presents a possible symptom of breast cancer, or due to the delay in the health system, particularly when giving the definitive diagnosis.
Recent studies have shown different factors related to the development of breast cancer and modifying some of them can prevent it. Some of the factors to reduce the risk of suffering from this disease is to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables for its high content of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, the American Cancer Society recommends maintaining a healthy weight throughout life and avoid excessive weight gain by balancing food consumption with physical activity, An expert review revealed that for every 12 months a woman breastfeeds her baby, the relative risk of cancer decreases 4.3%, reproductive factors such as prolonged use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies, late onset of menopause, first pregnancy in middle age, shortening of breastfeeding, and not having children. There are some factors that cannot be changed such as having an activated hereditary factor, such as a family history of breast cancer, and mutations of the BRCA1, BRCA2, and p53 genes.
