Moderate Drinking May Boost Risk of Breast Cancer’s Return (HealthDay)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 03:12 Written by Natural Health Team Wednesday, 1 September 2010 03:12
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) — Drinking even moderate
amounts of alcohol may raise the risk for breast cancer recurrence in some
women, new research indicates.
The association seems confined to former breast cancer patients who are
postmenopausal or overweight or obese, the researchers noted.
However, drinking moderately (about three to four drinks per week) was
not linked to increased risk for all-cause death, and may in fact lower
the risk for dying from a non-breast cancer-related health issue, the
study suggests.
The observations are reported in the Aug. 30 online edition of the
Journal of Clinical Oncology by a team led by Marilyn L. Kwan, a
researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.
The findings are “consistent with what we already know about alcohol’s
role in increasing the risk for developing primary breast cancer,” said
Kwan.
“But I want to emphasize that women who consume less than three to four
drinks per week didn’t see any increased risk in terms of recurrence or
breast cancer death,” Kwan added. “And, in fact, we did see a suggestion
that women who consume small amounts of alcohol get some protection
against the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.” But that finding
was not statistically significant, she noted.
Between 2000 and 2002, Kwan and her colleagues recruited about 1,900
women in California and Utah, most of whom had been diagnosed about two or
three years earlier with early-stage breast cancer.
To explore the potential relationship between drinking and breast
cancer risk, the researchers asked the women to complete a dietary survey,
indicating their routine consumption of wine, beer and/or liquor.
Just over half the women were considered drinkers. Nearly nine in 10
drank wine, more than 40 percent consumed liquor, and almost 36 percent
drank beer.
Over nearly seven and a half years of follow-up, 293 women experienced
breast cancer recurrence, and 273 died from a variety of health
complications.
Kwan’s team found that study participants who were postmenopausal or
overweight/obese raised their risk for breast cancer recurrence by nearly
1.5 times if they regularly consumed a minimum of three to four drinks of
any type of alcohol a week.
Similarly, that group of women faced a 1.5 times greater risk of dying
from breast cancer if they followed the same drinking patterns.
On the other hand, the research team unearthed indications that
drinking any amount of alcohol may possibly decrease the risk of
dying from causes other than breast cancer.
However, Kwan stressed that the findings will need to be confirmed by
other studies.
Dr. Paula Klein a medical oncologist and breast cancer specialist at
the Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, who was not
involved in the research, described the observations as useful, as long
as they are taken in context.
The researchers only looked at moderate drinking, not heavy drinking,
and their finding is confined to women who are postmenopausal and those
who are overweight or obese, she stressed. “But that’s a good thing,
because information like this — where risks and benefits are confined to
different subgroups — is part of the new push to personalize medicine,”
she said. “Because one size doesn’t fit all in terms of risk factors and
treatments.”
The study is important because it adds to a woman’s awareness of risk
factors for the development and recurrence of breast cancer, she said.
“And it’s another gentle reminder of the risks associated with being
overweight and obese, and how small additional factors can influence
outcomes,” she added.
When patients ask what they can do to lower their risk, this is a
modifiable change, alongside weight loss and exercise, she said.
No tags for this post.
amounts of alcohol may raise the risk for breast cancer recurrence in some
women, new research indicates.
The association seems confined to former breast cancer patients who are
postmenopausal or overweight or obese, the researchers noted.
However, drinking moderately (about three to four drinks per week) was
not linked to increased risk for all-cause death, and may in fact lower
the risk for dying from a non-breast cancer-related health issue, the
study suggests.
The observations are reported in the Aug. 30 online edition of the
Journal of Clinical Oncology by a team led by Marilyn L. Kwan, a
researcher at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif.
The findings are “consistent with what we already know about alcohol’s
role in increasing the risk for developing primary breast cancer,” said
Kwan.
“But I want to emphasize that women who consume less than three to four
drinks per week didn’t see any increased risk in terms of recurrence or
breast cancer death,” Kwan added. “And, in fact, we did see a suggestion
that women who consume small amounts of alcohol get some protection
against the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.” But that finding
was not statistically significant, she noted.
Between 2000 and 2002, Kwan and her colleagues recruited about 1,900
women in California and Utah, most of whom had been diagnosed about two or
three years earlier with early-stage breast cancer.
To explore the potential relationship between drinking and breast
cancer risk, the researchers asked the women to complete a dietary survey,
indicating their routine consumption of wine, beer and/or liquor.
Just over half the women were considered drinkers. Nearly nine in 10
drank wine, more than 40 percent consumed liquor, and almost 36 percent
drank beer.
Over nearly seven and a half years of follow-up, 293 women experienced
breast cancer recurrence, and 273 died from a variety of health
complications.
Kwan’s team found that study participants who were postmenopausal or
overweight/obese raised their risk for breast cancer recurrence by nearly
1.5 times if they regularly consumed a minimum of three to four drinks of
any type of alcohol a week.
Similarly, that group of women faced a 1.5 times greater risk of dying
from breast cancer if they followed the same drinking patterns.
On the other hand, the research team unearthed indications that
drinking any amount of alcohol may possibly decrease the risk of
dying from causes other than breast cancer.
However, Kwan stressed that the findings will need to be confirmed by
other studies.
Dr. Paula Klein a medical oncologist and breast cancer specialist at
the Beth Israel Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City, who was not
involved in the research, described the observations as useful, as long
as they are taken in context.
The researchers only looked at moderate drinking, not heavy drinking,
and their finding is confined to women who are postmenopausal and those
who are overweight or obese, she stressed. “But that’s a good thing,
because information like this — where risks and benefits are confined to
different subgroups — is part of the new push to personalize medicine,”
she said. “Because one size doesn’t fit all in terms of risk factors and
treatments.”
The study is important because it adds to a woman’s awareness of risk
factors for the development and recurrence of breast cancer, she said.
“And it’s another gentle reminder of the risks associated with being
overweight and obese, and how small additional factors can influence
outcomes,” she added.
When patients ask what they can do to lower their risk, this is a
modifiable change, alongside weight loss and exercise, she said.
“For those patients who really want to enjoy their wine and are
thin, you can assure them that a little bit of wine with dinner is not
going to make a dramatic difference in their breast cancer risk. But for
those who are overweight/obese, you can ask them to control their alcohol
intake.”
More information
For more on breast cancer prevention, visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
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