• Question: what is the cause of breast cancer

    Asked by anon-187708 to Kathryn on 9 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Kathryn Coldham

      Kathryn Coldham answered on 9 Nov 2018:

      Great question!

      This isn’t my field of work (I research particle physics, which is the study of what makes up the universe at the smallest of scales) but I believe it happens because of gene mutation. Genes are made up of DNA and are what makes you, you! They are passed on from parents to their children but some genes can mutate. This is when the gene’s DNA sequence changes. I don’t think scientists know exactly what causes for gene mutation to happen, but they do know of things that will increase the risk of it (e.g. smoking, your body experiencing high radiation levels or if members of your family have had it).

      Hopefully scientists will find a cure for cancer soon!

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