Could my lifestyle really be to blame for my breast cancer?

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 I was a relatively slim, otherwise healthy 40-year-old mother of two. I didn’t smoke, drank only moderately and, while not particularly athletic, was pretty active. At first glance I didn’t display any of the risk factors for breast cancer, other than my grandmother’s diagnosis, also in her forties.

But like many people who have been through cancer treatment, I have spent a lot of time reading about the lifestyle choices that may increase or reduce my risk. Partly to arm myself against a recurrence and partly, I must admit, to castigate myself over choices I made in the past.

Reading the new Lancet Breast Cancer Commission report, which found that a quarter of breast cancer cases