Smoking increases the risk of breast cancer

(Baonghean.vn) - Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemical compounds, including 250 toxic chemicals, and at least 69 chemicals identified as carcinogens. Smoking increases the risk of developing cancer in more than 10 parts of the body, including an increased risk of breast cancer.

In Vietnam, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Photo: Internet

In a Danish study, smoking was also one of the factors that increased the risk of breast cancer. Specifically, smokers had a 60% higher risk of breast cancer, and on average, they were diagnosed with the disease 8 years earlier than non-smokers.

A study by American scientists has also found that smoking before menopause, especially before giving birth, can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Harvard Medical School in Boston used data collected from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) to review the medical records of 111,140 women from 1976-2006 for active smoking and 36,017 women from 1982-2006 for passive smoking.

The results showed that a total of 8,772 cases of breast cancer were confirmed during the study period. The rate of breast cancer was associated with higher smoking in the past and present, long-term smoking, and smoking at a young age…

Scientists have concluded that smoking before menopause increases the risk of breast cancer, while there is evidence that smoking after menopause may reduce this risk.

Previously, Canadian scientists also pointed out that just regular inhalation of cigarette smoke is enough to lead to breast cancer, especially in premenopausal women. The level of danger is equivalent to active smoking.

Dr. Kenneth C. Johnson of the Public Health Agency of Canada investigated the relationship between breast cancer risk and cigarette smoking (both passive and active) by analyzing 19 previously published studies.

The results showed that regular exposure to secondhand smoke over a long period of time increased the risk of breast cancer by an average of 27% in women who never smoked. In some studies, this risk was as high as 80-90%.

In 14 studies, “the association between passive smoking and premenopausal cancer risk was significant, with a 68% increase in those exposed to secondhand smoke regularly and long-term, despite never having touched a cigarette in their lifetime.” The risk increased to 119% in the remaining five reports.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women in many industrialized countries. Most tumors occur in women aged 35-45, rarely occurring under the age of 30.

In Vietnam, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and up to 50% of patients are diagnosed at a late stage. When you see changes in breast shape, a tumor appears... you need to go to the hospital immediately for examination./.

Thanh Son

(Synthetic)