Weight linked to breast cancer
2006-05-22 10:23
Washington - Women who gain weight as adults face a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
The study adds to a large body of evidence showing that
weight and breast cancer can be closely linked.
A study of more than 44 000 women found that the more
weight a woman gained, the greater her risk for all types,
stages, and grades of breast cancer.
Compared to women who gained 10kg or less during adulthood, women who gained more than 27kg were almost twice as likely to have ductal type breast tumours and more than 1.5 times more likely to have lobular type cancers, Heather Spencer Feigelson of the American Cancer Society and colleagues found.
The risk of breast cancer that had spread tripled for women
who gained more than 27kg, they reported in
Monday's issue of the journal Cancer.
Oestrogen levels
Breast cancer risk is linked to increased levels of the
hormone oestrogen and fat tissue produces oestrogen, adding to
the risk.
"These data further illustrate the relationship between
adult weight gain and breast cancer, and the importance of
maintaining a healthy body weight throughout adulthood," the researchers wrote.
Hormone replacement therapy
A study published earlier this month found that women who
take oestrogen-only hormone replacement therapy for 20 years or
longer to treat symptoms of menopause have a higher risk of
developing breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death
among US women, after lung cancer. More than 200 000 people are diagnosed and another roughly 40 000 die from it each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
Globally more than 1.2 million men and women develop breast
cancer every year.