The two number one breast cancer risk factors are being a woman and getting older, but what about for women that have already had cancer? A new study found that weight has a positive correlation with risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Even being moderately overweight can increase a woman’s risk of breask cancer recurrence. The researchers at Montefiore Medical Center discovered that the higher a woman’s BMI (Body Mass Index), the higher her risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, women that were obese when they were diagnosed with breast cancer had a 30% higher risk of recurrence and 50% higher chance of death than those at normal weight.
The study was lead by Dr. Joseph Sprarano, associate chairman of medical oncology at the Monefiore Center for Cancer Care, who said that “Treatment strategies aimed at interfering with hormonal changes and inflammation caused by obesity may help reduce the risk of recurrence.”
Researches believe that the increase in fat can cause more hormonal changes within the body as well as increased inflammation. These changes can cause breast cancer to spread and recur in patients.
Fat cells produce estrogen, so overweight women may not have the same hormonal makeup as normal weight women. The researchers concluded that weight loss is critical to the prevention of breast cancer and its recurrence.
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