Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. About 1 in 7 women in the Netherlands develops breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Every year in the Netherlands, more than 3,000 women die from breast cancer (in 2024: 3,023 women). Women are more likely to develop breast cancer after the age of 50. 80% of women with breast cancer are older than 50. On this page, you can read more about the risk of breast cancer by age, hereditary predisposition and other risk factors.
Chance of detection of breast cancer (annual)
| Age | The annual chance of breast cancer being detected |
|---|---|
| 30-39 years | 0.6 out of 1,000 |
| 40-49 years | 1.9 out of 1,000 |
| 50-59 years | 2.9 out of 1,000 |
| 60-69 years | 3.6 out of 1,000 |
| 70-79 years | 3.3 out of 1,000 |
| 80 years or older | 3.7 out of 1,000 |
Breast cancer also occurs in men, but much less often than in women.
Genetic testing
About 5 to 10% of people with breast cancer get the disease due to a hereditary predisposition. If you think breast cancer runs in your family, you should discuss this with your GP. Genetic testing may be an option, to determine whether breast cancer occurs in your family. Genetic testing is not part of the population screening.
Factors that increase the risk of breast cancer
People with hereditary predisposition are more likely to develop breast cancer. Other factors are known, but they have much less impact on the risk of breast cancer.
- The best known risk factors:
- Having no or few children
- Having the first child at a later age
- Limited or no breastfeeding
- Menstruating for the first time at a young age
- Having a late onset menopause
- Very dense breast tissue
- Using hormone preparations for the symptoms of menopause for more than 5 years (this risk will be reduced when you stop taking hormone preparations)
- Taking the birth control pill (this risk decreases when you stop taking it)
- Alcohol consumption, even if less than 1 standard glass (10 grams) per day
- Lack of exercise
- Being overweight during and after menopause
If you want to know more about breast cancer, check out Causes and risk factors of breast cancer (in Dutch) at kanker.nl.