SMOKING AND BREAST CANCER

Doctors have long suspected a link between smoking and breast cancer risk, but
research results have been mixed. Many earlier studies found that both smoking and
exposure to secondhand smoke (is the inhalation of smoke, called passive smoking or
environmental tobacco smoke, from tobacco products used by others) do raise breast
cancer risk. Meta-analysis (looking at the results from many different studies all looking
at the same issue) study found that breast cancer risk is higher in:

 Pre-menopausal women who smoke -- women who start smoking at an early age
are 20% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who never smoke
 Post-menopausal women who smoke
 Pre-menopausal women exposed to secondhand smoke

However, a study shows that post-menopausal women exposed to secondhand smoke

didn't have an increase in breast cancer risk. From the recent studies, two studies have
shown positive results and prove that smoking increases breast cancer risk. Although,
still this results needs further research and confirmation.

We cannot ignore the fact that cigarette smoke contains compounds called aromatic
amines and this aromatic amines are known to cause cancer. In the first study, scientist
have shown the direct link between gene, which plays the role in causing breast cancer,
and aromatic amines. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure raises breast cancer
risk more in women who have a slow-acting form of the N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2)
gene. The slow-acting NAT2 gene slows the body's ability to get rid of aromatic amines.
Breast cancer risk in all long-term smokers is about 20% higher than in non-smokers.
This study found that breast cancer risk was 27% higher in women with the slow-acting
NAT2 gene who smoked. Other research has found that risk is 35% to 50% higher in
long-term smokers with the slow-acting NAT2 gene.

It is also known that nicotine binds to a specific receptor in the body to promote nicotine
addiction and as well as breast cancer. Thereof, in another research conducted by the
Yuan-Soon Ho of the Taipei Medical University and colleagues, found that
human breast cancer cells consistently over-expressed the alpha 9 subunit of the
nAChR (nicotinic acetylcholine receptor). The expression of this subunit was higher in
advanced-stage breast cancer compared with early-stage cancer. They also found that
reducing the levels of nAChR inhibited tumor growth in laboratory experiments, whereas
increasing its levels or treating more normal breast cells with nicotine promoted the
development of cancer characteristics. However, authors say their study was limited by
its small sample size, and the fact that it included only Asian patients

Smoking can harm your health, including your breast health, at any age. If you don't
smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, find a program or system to help you quit. Quitting
is tough, but it's definitely worth it.