Experts: One-third of Breast Cancer Cases Avoidable

Experts: One-third of Breast Cancer Cases Avoidable
The Associated Press 2010
March 25 2010

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-03-25-breast-cancer_N.htm

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women with 190,000 new cases and 40,000 deaths in the United States in 2009. A woman has a 1/8 chance of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. A 2006 study by British researchers found that women who are obese have and increased risk of developing the cancer compared to normal weight women by 60%. Estrogen is produced by fat tissue and it is thought that the more fat tissue a woman has the greater chance the estrogen produced from that tissue will make a person more prone to develop breast cancer. Similarly, during 1980-1990 a parallel increase was recognized in obesity, breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy which all are associated with estrogen. Better Mammogram screenings, early diagnosis and treatments have shown improvements. The head of epidemiology at the University of Milan, Carlo La Vecchia, spoke his thoughts to the Associated Press, “What can be achieved with screening has been achieved. We can’t do much more, It’s time to move onto other things.” A European breast cancer conference in Barcelona, suggests breast cancer can be prevented in Western countries with a focus on changing lifestyle behaviors with diet and exercise. However this recommendation only applies to postmenopausal women because of limited evidence on reduced body fat in younger women.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimated a 25-30% decrease in cases following this recommendation to stay thin. An IARC cancer expert, Robert Baan from Lyon, France posed the question of whether it is the weight reduction activities or being slim and not gaining weight from the beginning had a lower cancer risk.

A cancer expert at Harvard University, Michelle Holmes said that diet and exercise is an easier risk factor to modify in comparison to genes. “The genes have been there for thousands of years but if cancer rates are changing in a lifetime, that doesn’t have much to do with genes.”

It was noted that 1.25-2.5 hours of brisk walking a week reduced the risk 18% in a Women’s Health Initiative study. It is recommended by the American Cancer Society to exercise five or more days a week between 45-60 minutes to reduce the risk.