Less than 10 % of women with breast cancer have a BRCA mutation, but doctors recommend that
women with a family history of breast cancer be tested for the genetic abnormality, since intervention with drug treatments, surgery or a combination of both can prolong survival.
That means, for
women with a family history of breast cancer, breastfeeding can reduce your odds of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer by more than half!
«For
women with a family history of breast cancer, this suggests an extra benefit [of breastfeeding] is, it may reduce the risk of breast cancer,» says Alison Stuebe, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the lead author of the study.
«When
a woman with a family history of breast cancer sees her physician, they want to know if they have a mutation in breast / ovarian cancer genes,» says Rogan.
Women with a family history of breast cancer may have a new weapon against the disease: breast - feeding.
Women with a family history of breast cancer will still need to be extra vigilant.