Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/16/2009

Question
QUESTION: sir i want to ask whether during sex pressing breast tightly can cause breast cancer or not.
Does it increase the risks to get breast cancer.
Is it safe to have sex with a person having breast cancer.

ANSWER: It does not cause breast cancer, nor does it increase the risk of it. Yes it is safe! It is NOT infectious!


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: can you tell me what are causes of breast cancer ?
what is the main out of all these ?

Answer
There are many factors involved. Some of them most probably unknown. But hormones (female sex hormones) do play a role and so do genetic factors. Radiation is a known risk factor but probably not very important in most cases. Again a large part of the causes is still unknown and has yet to be found. That is all I can tell you at present. If the mother or a sister of a woman has had breast cancer her risk increases, even more so if both the mother and a sister have had it. Her risk increases with age. If she starts to menstruate early her risk increases, so it does if she stops to menstruate late. A woman with no children or giving birth to her first child very late in life has an increased risk. So do women who do not breast feed babies. Big women & fat women have increased risks. Some hormonal medications increase the risk - especially postmenopausal hormone treatment. It is difficult to sort out any main cause since all of these factors do influence the outcome.