Late marriage, lack of breast feeding increases risk of breast cancer

Kashmiri women with history of late marriage, lack of breast feeding to their children and obesity have a high risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime, reveals a study by Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar.
The study by Dr Kausar Sideeq of Department of Community Medicine at GMC Srinagar has shown that females with late age at first child birth are nearly five times more vulnerable to develop breast cancer while it increases the risk two times in those who have avoided feeding their children with breast milk and three times in overweight females.
Similarly, the study found a significant link of hormonal treatment with the development of breast cancer among Kashmiri women.
“Our study has provided possible association of  hormone related risk factors with breast cancer among Kashmiri women with factors like early age at menarche, late age at menopause, use of hormonal     contraceptives, hormone replacement therapy, higher age at first child birth, nulliparity (the condition in a woman of never having given birth) and lack of breast feeding  found positively associated,” Dr Kausar told .
“Other risk factors like overweight, past history of benign breast disease were also found to be associated with breast cancer in Kashmiri women.”
She said the study did not find significant association of breast cancer with history of abortion and radiation exposure.
“In case of use of hormonal contraceptive and hormone replacement therapy the risk increases almost eight fold,” reads the study titled ‘Breast cancer and associated risk factors among ethnic Kashmiri females’.
The study says strategies that may help prevent breast cancer include avoiding weight gain and obesity, engaging in regular physical activity, women who choose to breast-feed for an extended period of time (a year or more) may also reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.
“A consideration for increased risk   of breast cancer should be made while evaluating treatment options for    menopausal symptoms and for contraception. Women need to be educated  regarding the high risk of developing breast cancer and recommendations should be made for proper screening of high risk females,” it recommends.
The study was done on 102 Kashmiri females with one-year data collection from May 2013 to April 2014 in SMHS hospital.