Increased Risk of Breast Cancer Among South Asian Women

The risk of breast cancer has increased among British Asian women, a new research has revealed. The study conducted by the University of Sheffield has suggested that historically women from this ethnic group have had a lower risk of the disease than white British women, the BBC reported.

The researchers have found that breast cancer incidence had risen in recent years for South Asian women because of the lifestyle factors, one of which is obesity.

The researchers, who are presenting their work to the National Cancer Intelligence Network Conference in Brighton on Friday, looked at census and cancer data for 135,000 women from different ethnic backgrounds from 2000-2009.

It was found that by the 2005-2009 period, rates of breast cancer among South Asian women had increased significantly and had risen to be 8 percent higher than white women.

Lead author, Dr Matthew Day, said that other lifestyle factors linked to increased breast cancer risk across the board include fewer children and having them later in life, increased use of oral contraceptives, and increased smoking and alcohol intake.

Source-ANI