- What Causes Breast Cancer? - Risk Factors for Female Smokers
Is smoking what causes breast cancer?
Female smokers may want to pay attention to the new breast cancer facts about
smoking which reveal that this disease may be one of the real dangers of cigarette smoking.
Identifying and quantifying the breast cancer risk factors has been an ongoing pursuit for many researchers.
Data seemed to be inconsistent and scientists were reluctant to say that one of the real dangers of cigarette smoking,
especially for female smokers was the possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis.
Given the number of carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes many of which have been
identifed as mammary carcinogens, it seems illogical that female smokers would not
have an increased number of risk factors for breast cancer.
But real scientific evidence through properly conducted studies was not yielding the
consistent and conclusive evidence demanded by the scientific community.
New Facts About Smoking and What Causes Breast Cancer
According to a report by the Canadian Expert Panel on
Tobacco Smoke and Breast Cancer Risk, the factors that increase
the probability of a breast cancer diagnosis include smoking. These new
facts about smoking provide for more formative conclusions that breast cancer
is one the dangers of cigarette smoking for female smokers at least. There is no
evidence in this study that cigarette smoking increases the risk for men.
30 - 35% increased risk for long term female smokers who have breast cancer genes.
In one study the report indicates there was a doubling of breast cancer cases among female
smokers who were known to carry the BCRA1 and BCRA2 genes (names for specific breast cancer genes).
Many women who carry these genes have their names on breast cancer registries in both Canada and the USA.
breast cancer risk increases with the number of pack years. In other words there is a dose response relationship.
As with many other smoking related diseases, when it comes to breast cancer, the dangers of cigarette
smoking increase with the amount smoked.
secondhand smoking increased the risk by
almost 70% in young premenopausal women who had never smoked but who were vulnerable to the dangers of
cigarette smoking through long term exposure to second hand smoke (or side stream smoke).
carcinogenic ingredients in cigarettes have been found in breast milk so it is known that the chemicals in cigarettes do reach the breast tissue.
What Causes Breast Cancer
Both active and secondhand smoking have been investigated for some time in order to determine causality. Until 2002 increased
breast cancer risk factors that included smoking were determined to be:
long term exposure to mainstream smoke
smoking history before having children
secondhand smoking exposures
increased risk for female smokers who also have the breast cancer genes.
The New Facts about Smoking and What Causes Breast Cancer
New evidence has confirmed the previous body of evidence and provided such profound data on the
association between breast cancer and smoking that the task force concluded;
Causality
"Active Smoking: Based on the weight of evidence from epidemiologic and toxicological studies and
understanding of biological mechanisms, the Panel concluded that the relationships between active
smoking and both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer are consistent with causality.
Secondhand Smoke: Based primarily on the evidence presented by the CalEPA and the Surgeon
General, and strong recent evidence of an active smoking-breast cancer risk, the Panel concluded
that the relationship between SHS and breast cancer in younger, primarily premenopausal women is
consistent with causality. The evidence was considered insufficient to pass judgement on SHS and
postmenopausal breast cancer."
Collishaw NE (Chair), Boyd NF, Cantor KP, Hammond SK, Johnson KC, Millar J, Miller AB, Miller
M, Palmer JR, Salmon AG, Turcotte F. Canadian Expert Panel on Tobacco Smoke and Breast Cancer
Risk. Toronto, Canada: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, OTRU Special Report Series, April 2009. p57
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The purpose of the information provided here is to help you cooperate with your doctor and other
health practitioners. It is not intended to take the place of medical advice and you are encouraged to
discuss health concerns with your physician or a professional health care provider who is
familiar with you and your unique personal health context.
