Breast cancer (BC) is the second leading cause of female cancers worldwide in 2018, followed by lung cancer, and the fifth fatal cancer, followed by lung, colorectal, gastric, and liver cancers. The incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in Western women have been shown to decrease for a long period of time, while the incidence and mortality rates of Asian women are rapidly increasing. The incidence and mortality rates of BC in Western women have been changing to a recent decrease from a fluctuation in rates for a long time, while in Asian women, the incidence and mortality rates have increased rapidly. The secular changes in rates are mainly related to medical advancement in treatment or diagnosis for BC, and preventive management and policy in each country, but also to the change of risk factors in the population.In this chapter, we briefly review the epidemiologic characteristics of breast cancer reported so far and summarize the results for various risk factors of breast cancer. Moreover, we summarize the potential for risk modification in high-risk population of breast cancer with various risk factors.
Keywords: Breast neoplasm; Epidemiology; Prevention; Risk factors; Risk modification.