Final answer:
Breast pathology is often caused by inherited genetic mutations, particularly in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which significantly increase the risk of cancer. They are a major risk factor for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers, but environmental factors and lifestyle choices also contribute to the development of breast pathology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The origin of nearly all breast pathology can be multifactorial, encompassing genetic mutations, hormonal changes, environmental factors, and infections. However, a significant risk factor especially for the development of breast and ovarian cancer are inherited genetic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. These genes greatly increase the risk for breast and other related cancers and are responsible for the majority of hereditary breast cancers.
While not everyone with these genetic mutations will develop cancer, they significantly raise the risk; for example, women with a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 gene have a 55 to 65% risk of developing breast cancer by age 70. This is much higher than the 12% lifetime risk for the general female population. Moreover, the occurrence of breast cancer at an unusually young age, the presence of several different cancers in one individual, or multiple cases of the same type of cancer in a family, can be indicative of a hereditary cancer risk.
Environmental factors, including exposure to carcinogens like tobacco smoke, chemicals, radiation, and pathogens such as HPV, can also lead to DNA mutations that cause cancer, known as carcinogenesis. This highlights the fact that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of breast pathology.