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Teen smoking raises breast cancer riskWritten by Bupa's medical team - 4 October 2002 Young women who smoke during puberty may be 70 percent more likely to get breast cancer than non-smokers in later life, according to a new study from Canada. Overall, women in the UK have a one in nine risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. The research, published in The Lancet this week, involved 2,000 British Columbian women under the age of 75, who had responded to a questionnaire about their smoking habits and other lifestyle factors, such as alcohol consumption. Half the group had been diagnosed with breast cancer. In the study, an analysis of the results revealed that women who started smoking within five years of starting their periods were up to 1.7 times (70 percent) more likely to develop breast cancer before the menopause than non-smokers. The researchers suggest the reason for this could be that breast tissue is at its most vulnerable before it is fully formed and particularly during 'periods of rapid cell growth' such as during puberty. "Our observations reinforce the importance of smoking prevention, especially in early adolescence," said study author, Pierre Band from the British Columbia Cancer Agency. The research also found that the risk of premenopausal breast cancer was significantly increased in women who smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years or more. However, the researchers claim that postmenopausal breast cancer risk was reduced for women who started smoking after a full-term pregnancy. Dr Stephen Duffy from Cancer Research UK's mathematics, statistics and epidemiology department in London said: "This study suggests an increased risk of breast cancer for women who smoke in their teens and a decreased risk of the disease for women who take up smoking later in life, after their first pregnancy. Both of these could be chance findings since the study is relatively small. "The picture remains confusing and we need further research to clarify the effects of smoking on breast cancer risk. "It's important to emphasise that overall the effect of smoking on the risks of heart disease, respiratory disorders, lung and other cancers by far outweighs any possible protective effect." Amanda Sandford, research manager for anti-smoking charity Action for Smoking and Health (ASH) said: "In terms of this study, it is obviously early days and more research is needed so that we can formulate the appropriate health messages but if the findings of this study are confirmed then it raises some serious concerns and the potential numbers involved could be staggering." She went on to add: "Considering that cigarette smoke contains about 60 carcinogens that we know can cause cancer at a number of sites in the body, it is quite plausible that it could also cause breast cancer, so if this turns out to be the case we shouldn't really be surprised." Peter Mace - head of quality and clinical effectiveness at Bupa Wellness, said: "Whether you smoke or not, it is always useful and important to be Breast Aware, and be sure you know your body so that you can report any changes to a medical professional. This study again underlines how smoking is bad for your health, particularly for teenagers." Links:
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