Extra pounds up ‘post-menopausal breast cancer risk’

Putting on extra pounds throughout adulthood mount the women’s post-menopausal breast cancer risk, a new study highlights.

Women who weighed over their required BMI (Body Mass Index calculated by dividing the weight by the square of the height) reported 1.4 times the risk of breast cancer compared to women whose weight remained stable, the study found.

As hormone estrogen accumulates in the acquired fat tissue, it initiates and promotes the growth of cancerous tumors. Furthermore, overweight and obese women have twice the level of circulating estrogen in their body as compared to women weighing normal, researchers explain.

The researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda examined a little less than lakh women in their post-menopausal stage for breast cancer. Their weight at ages 18, 35 and 50 were recorded.

On basis of data collected the researchers segregated gaining weight the following stages;
• Early reproductive years (age 18 to 35),
• Late reproductive years (age 35 to 50),
• Pre-menopausal and post-menopausal years (age 50 and up)
• Throughout adulthood (age 18 and up).

Increased BMI at all stages was associated with increased breast cancer risk, particularly in women not using menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), researchers found.

In addition, women who were not overweight or obese at age 18 but were at 35 and 50 had a 40 per cent increased risk of developing breast cancer in middle age.

At the end of the study, 2111 incidents of breast cancer cases were ascertained.

The findings of the study feature in the current issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Self examination: One way to detect breast cancer
Examining your breasts is an important way to find a breast cancer early.
However, keep in mind that eight out of ten lumps are non-cancerous and that most breast changes are benign.

The ideal time

The best time for breast self examination is right after the menstrual period. At this time the oestrogen levels in the body are low.

The best position
A thorough breast examination has three stages;
• Observing while lying down
• Observing your breasts in the mirror
• Observing when you are sitting or standing

Lying on the back forces the breast tissue to spread, allowing you to press firmly on the chest wall, while breast examination while sitting or standing allows you to examine your breasts from all angles.

Procedure for breast self examination
Lie down with a pillow under one shoulder and put your arm on that side behind your head. Feel every part of the breast by pressing your fingertips on a spot and then moving the whole hand in a small circle so that the breast tissue slides back and forth under the skin.

Search for thickenings, changes and lumps and never assume the thickening in the breast to be a muscle – there are no muscles in the breast.

Go all the way to the middle of the chest, all the way up to the collarbone and then the arm.

Finally, examine the armpit carefully for enlarged lymph nodes.
Also, squeeze the nipples to see if there is any kind of discharge.

Repeat the same process while standing or sitting in front of the mirror. This could be done in three positions – with the arms up, with the arms down; with the shoulders in bending forward from the hips and bending forward with arms relaxed and hanging in front.

Changes to take note
Some of the changes to watch out for are;
• Persistent skin rash.
• Discharge from one or both nipples.
• Puckering or dimpling of the skin.
• Any thickening or lump that feels different from the rest of the breast tissue.
• Constant pain in one part of the breast or in the armpit.
• Swelling under the armpit or around the collarbone.
• Change in breast size.
• An inverted nipple or one that has changes its shape or position.