Rojas · Clinical obstetrics and gynecology 2016 · narrative review · n=?

Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk Factors.

Cited 576 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review of epidemiology and risk factors without systematic review methodology

PubMed 27681694 · doi:10.1097/GRF.0000000000000239 · record verified 2026-08-29

What was done

This is a narrative review summarizing female breast cancer epidemiology, survival statistics, and risk factors from aggregate population data.

What was found

Between 2010 and 2012, the lifetime probability of developing female breast cancer was 12.3% (approximately 1 in 8). The 5-year relative survival rate between 2005 and 2011 was 89%. Less than 10% of breast cancer cases were attributed to inherited genetic mutations, with the majority associated with environmental, reproductive, and lifestyle factors.

Why it matters

It highlights that the vast majority of breast cancers are linked to non-hereditary, potentially modifiable factors rather than inherited genetic mutations, and contextualizes increasing survival trends.

Limits

As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic literature search or meta-analytic pooling. Specific source populations, sample sizes, confidence intervals, and statistical tests are not reported in the abstract.

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