Breaking 3 Lifestyle Habits May Decrease Risk of Second Breast Cancer

A new study published in the online edition of the Journal of Clinical  Oncology suggests breaking 3 lifestyle habits may decrease risk of second breast cancer.

The study shows obesity, drinking seven or more alcoholic beverages a week and smoking could make a second breast cancer more likely.

The research was collected from 1,000 Seattle area breast cancer patients, including 365 women who developed a second breast cancer in their other breast. Women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer were targeted.

Researcher Christopher Li, MD, PhD of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said, “We found that obese women had a 50% increased risk, women who consumed at least one alcoholic drink per day had a 90%  increased risk, and women who were current smokers had a 120% increased risk of developing a second breast cancer.”

Li and fellow researchers also found that among women who drank at least seven alcoholic beverages per week, the odds of developing a second breast cancer in the opposite breast were about seven times higher if those women were current smokers.

The new paper doesn’t show the absolute risk of developing a second breast cancer in the opposite breast, and it doesn’t include women with estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer. 

Obesity and alcohol use have been linked to breast cancer risk in other studies. Li’s team calls the fact that smoking has not been firmly established as a cancer risk biologically plausible.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a great time to make some healthy lifestyle changes. Lose that extra weight, quit smoking and decrease your risk of second breast cancer and many other cancers.