Risk factors for developing breast cancer include being female, increasing age, being overweight, alcohol consumption and genetic factors. In this field, genome-wide association studies are a powerful tool. They can identify common genetic variants, or mutations, that can affect your likelihood of developing a trait or disease. These studies scan the whole genome (all of a person’s DNA) to find genetic differences present in people with a particular disease or traits. Since their introduction in 2005, these studies have provided insights that can help in the diagnosis, screening and prediction of certain diseases, including breast cancer. Recent findings have been…