White women in their pre-menopause phase of life have double the risk for breast cancer if they are smokers. A recent case-control study revealed that it is because of the ‘BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene-mutation’.

Results of the study and the investigation report have been published in the journal “Breast Cancer Research and Treatment”. This report established the fact that the women who were smoking for last five or more five pack-years have twice the risk as non-smokers to have breast cancer.

Smoking

Researchers are of the view that if these findings are confirmed, it will also provide a solution for the ‘mutation carriers’ in order to reduce the risk for developing the breast cancer.

Various studies conducted previously demonstrated contradictory results. Many of the studies established a positive relationship between the ‘breast cancer’ and ‘smoking’ while several other studies confirmed negative correlation between the two. Researchers in this study however adopted an approach that involved an examination of the relationship in a large number of women who were affected with the ‘BRCA1 or BRCA 2 mutation gene’ and equally the women who were not affected with these ‘mutation genes’.

Researchers from the Ontario Cancer Genetics Network expressed, “Because 20-60% of BRCA1/2 carriers do not develop breast cancer, there are likely to be other genetic or environmental factors that modify risk,“.

This study involved all non-Hispanic white women aged less than 50 years and having a relationship with the deleterious’ BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation’. It also included an examination and identification of 323 cases and 481 controls, all from a ‘multi-national breast cancer family registry’.

The “odds-ratio” has an interesting relationship with the mutating genes. The ratio associated with smoking came out to be 2.3 for the ‘BRCA1 mutation carriers’ and 2.6 for ‘BRCA2 mutation carriers’. There exists a significant relationship between risk and the time period with respect to the mutation carrier rate. The investigations reported that the risk increased 7% per five pack-years in carriers of both the mutation.

“Previous studies in prevalent mutation carriers have not shown smoking to increase risk of breast cancer but are prone to bias, because smoking decreases survival after breast cancer,” the researchers from the Ontario Cancer Genetics Network remarked.

Results and findings of this study would still need further confirmations. However, the present revelations indicate substantial influence of an environmental exposure on genetically determined susceptibility growth to the breast cancer.

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