Could Young Women who Smoke be at Higher Risk for Breast Cancer?

A recent study shows that young women who smoke could be at a higher risk for developing a common type of breast cancer.

For the study, researchers from the Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle examined women between the ages of 20 and 44 who smoked nearly an entire pack each day for 10 years. They found that they were nearly 60 percent more likely to develop estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer than those do not smoke or smoke as often.

"I think that there is growing evidence that breast cancer is another health hazard associated with smoking," said lead study author Dr Christopher Li of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, via Reuters Health.

For the study, researchers analyzed data of female participants from Seattle who had been diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2010. They found that 778 women were diagnosed with more common estrogen receptor-positive type and 182 were diagnosed with the less common type but more aggressive form, tripe-negative type.

Those in the control group, 938 women were studied without cancer, were 30 percent more likely to develop any type of breast cancer if they smoked compared to those in the same group who did not smoke, via Medical News Today.

However, the findings also showed that women who were recent or current smokers and had smoked for at least 15 years had a 50 percent higher chance of getting estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer than those who smoked for less time.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be seen via the journal Cancer.