Women Smokers at Risk of Breast Cancer

Smoking was not just a trigger diseases related to respiratory tract. Recent studies show women smokers at greater risk of breast cancer, especially if they are already a smoker since a young age.

Although the risk is likely to be small, but women smokers are at risk of 6 percent higher breast cancer compared with nonsmokers. Women who spend a pack of cigarettes every day over a period of 30 years the risk jumped to 28 percent.

'Smokers may not be not the main factor of breast cancer, but when we see a woman in the group of heavy smokers and had smoked since he was young, it becomes a serious matter,' said Karin Michels, Ph.D., cancer epidemiologist and Obgyn from Harvard Medical School conduct this research.

Previous studies on the effect of smoking on breast cancer produce a balanced outcome. Some studies concluded that smoking increases the risk, but some will not find a link.

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of materials or substances, including chemicals, gas, and droplets of tar-tetasan. However, smoking is known to reduce levels of estrogen, one of the triggers of breast cancer. 'That's why some studies found no link between smoking and breast cancer, "said Michels.

In his research, Michel and his team studied 110 000 women who had 30 years to be smokers. In general, there are 8772 respondents who had breast cancer during the study period.

Those who had become smokers, at least before the first child, the risk of breast cancer is higher. Gave birth to a baby known to protect women from breast cancer, suspected this because of the changes that occur in breast tissue.

'The risk of breast cancer is greater in periods of hormonal transition, for example premenapause and post-menopausal period when there was a variety of changes in hormone function,' said Joanne Mortimer, MD, director of the Women's Cancer Program. He was not involved in this research.

 In fact, women who smoke have an increased risk of post menopasue smaller than nonsmokers to have breast cancer. This is because people who have menopause, and smokers have lower estrogen levels.


source : CNN/kompas

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