Women who smoke 100 or more cigarettes may substantially increase their odds of developing breast cancer. Cancer is one of the nation's major critical illness causing financial hardship according to the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance, the industry trade group.
Researchers report new evidence that a woman smoker can reduce her risk of breast cancer by stopping smoking as soon as possible. The study compared smoking history and other breast cancer risk factors among 1,225 women who developed breast cancer and 6,872 who did not during the first year after their initial visit to the Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic.
Surveys completed during this visit indicated just over 10 percent were current smokers, almost 9 percent were former smokers, and 81 percent had never smoked.
In addition women who had used oral contraceptives for 11 years or longer had a 200 percent increase in the odds of developing breast cancer. Women who used postmenopausal hormone therapy showed 81 percent increased odds, while aging raised the odds of developing breast cancer by 2 percent per year.
SOURCE: The Breast Journal, September/October 2009
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