Tobacco, invasive breast cancer linked
Long-term smoking places women who are already at risk of developing breast cancer at a greater risk of being diagnosed with invasive forms of the cancer.
University of Pittsburgh researchers showed women who had been smoking for at least 35 years are at a 60 percent higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer.
Women who were used to smoke for 15 to 35 years were 34 percent more likely to develop invasive breast cancer and 7 percent more likely to develop colon cancer, the study showed.
There was, however, no increased risk of invasive breast cancer in women who had smoked for less than 15 years. But, the finding doesn’t mean that these individuals are free of other confirmed risks of smoking.
The daily number of cigarettes a woman lights up along with that of the years she continues her habit are linked to the risk of developing cancer, the study found.
According to the findings, women who smoked more than one pack of cigarettes per day had almost a double risk of developing lung cancer than their peers who smoked less.
In other words, compared to non-smokers, women who consumed more than one pack per day for more than 35 years are 30 times more likely to develop lung cancer, while the risk was 13 times higher for their counterparts who smoked less than a pack per day for more than 35 years.
"Our results showed an even greater increase in risk than has been shown in previous studies, suggesting that for women who are at risk of breast cancer because of family history or other factors, smoking cigarettes is even more risky than for other women," said study author Stephanie Land .
"It sends a very important message for women with family histories of breast cancer about the long-term risks of smoking, as well as the importance of staying physically active. We’re seeing again that smoking cessation is one of the most effective tools we have for reducing risk of many cancers," she added.
Source: presstv.ir
