Heavy Smokers for Long Period Seen at Higher Risk of Breast Cancer

Women who have been heavy smokers for a long period of time appear to have a higher risk of breast cancer, according to a report published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine examined the association between smoking and breast cancer risk using data from participants in a study of breast cancer screening involving 89,835 women ages 40 to 59 and with up to 40 years of smoking duration at the time of the study.

During an average follow-up period of 10.6 years, researchers observed 2,552 cases of breast cancer. They found a positive link between cigarette smoking and breast cancer risk, primarily in women who had smoked for several decades.

Compared to women who had never smoked, women who had smoked 40 years or more, and smoked 20 cigarettes a day or more, were at the highest risk, according to the report.

"Our findings suggest that smoking of a very long duration and high intensity may be associated with increased risk of breast cancer," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: International Journal of Cancer