Study: Postmenopausal Women Who Suffer Fractures May Be at Less Risk of Breast Cancer

Postmenopausal women who suffer fractures may, because of lower estrogen levels, have a lower risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

"Fractures in postmenopausal women may serve as a surrogate measure of bone density, reflecting long-term estrogen levels, and lower estrogen levels appear to be inversely associated with breast and endometrial cancer," said Dr. Polly A. Newcomb of the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Researchers conducted a telephone survey of 5,559 breast cancer patients, ages 50 to 79, and 739 endometrial cancer patients, ages 40 to 79, according to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. For the control population of the study, researchers interviewed 5,829 people for the breast cancer study and 2,334 for the endometrial cancer study.

The age-adjusted prevalence of a history of fracture within the past 5 years among breast cancer patients was 6.3 percent and 8.3 percent for the control population. Recent fracture history and a height loss of at least 2.5 cm were associated with a lower risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer, according to the researchers.

"These data suggest that the endogenous hormonal factors associated with increased fracture risk are also related to decreased breast cancer risk and, more strongly, to endometrial cancer risk," the researchers said.

Other sources: American Journal of Epidemiology, Reuters