Risk factors of breast cancer: Literature review

Background: Over the last 20 years the incidence of breast cancer has increased making it the most common cancer worldwide. To carry out targeted interventions prevention depends on identifying risk factors. Comparing condensing, summarizing, and analyzing patient risk factors for breast cancer is the goal of this literature review.  Methods: A literature review was conducted in 2025 from online scientific databases, such as ResearchGate, Refseek, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The search terms used were "Breast cancer", "risk factors of breast cancer", and "risk factors for breast cancer". The appropriate articles were shortlisted and selected in accordance with given criteria. Results: Possible risk factors for breast cancer are presented by research. The study supports both individual-level interventions and public health-level interventions for issues.  Conclusion: The main risk factors identified in studies include age, (obesity/overweight), family history, consumption of alcohol, early age at menarche, late menopausal age, smoking, poor diet, absence of breastfeeding, low level of education, low level of breast cancer-related knowledge, radiation, oral contraception, child death in a biological mother, hypertension, history of malignancy in a first-degree relative, poor sleep, frequent multivitamin intake, hormone replacement, nulliparity, high meat intake (>=3/week), history of benign breast disease, low parity, genetic susceptibility. These findings emphasize the potential for multifactorial intervention against the occurrence of breast cancer.