Pack-a-day smoking habit boosts risk of breast cancer for young women

Young women who smoke one pack of cigarettes each day are at increased risk of developing estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, the most common form of the disease, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer. Continued efforts to discourage smoking are needed to help address concerns, researchers say.

Current female smokers who had maintained the habit for 10 years or more were 60% more likely to develop estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers compared with those who had smoked for less time or fewer packs per year, the new study found. However, there was no significant connection between smoking and the risk of triple-negative breast cancer, a more aggressive form of the disease. Researchers followed 778 women between the ages of 20 and 44 who had been diagnosed with breast cancer between 2004 and 2010 in the Seattle-Puget Sound metropolitan area.

“Given the numerous adverse health effects of smoking, an increased risk of breast cancer in young women has now been observed consistently as another risk,” the authors wrote. “Ongoing efforts to prevent the initiation of smoking and to promote smoking cessation are clearly warranted.”

An estimated 42.1 million people, just more than 18% of all adults in the United States, smoke cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Though smoking prevalence has declined over the years, the agency says cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths each year.

Last week, the retail drugstore chain CVS Caremark Corp. made headlines when the company announced it will stop selling tobacco products at its 7,600 stores by Oct. 1, saying that the decision is the right thing to help customers on their path to better health. The announcement was applauded by government health experts, who urge other drugstores to follow suit.

In January, to help mark the 50th anniversary of the first surgeon general's report on the link between smoking and lung cancer, the CDC issued a best practices report to help states and providers establish comprehensive tobacco-control programs. More than 80% of smokers see a physician annually, and most smokers expect or are receptive to their physicians talking to them about quitting, the report said. They recommend consistent screening and delivery of cessation interventions that are facilitated by assigning multiple members of the healthcare team.

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