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# Cigarette smoking, active or otherwise, boosts breast cancer risk
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/cigarette_smoking_breast_cancer_risk_1009120712/
- Published: 2012-10-09T20:11:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:12:43.000Z
- Description: Among 79,990 women aged 50 to 79 followed about 10 years, former smokers were 9 percent and current smokers 16 percent more likely to develop invasive breast cancer than never-smokers. Among never-smokers, the heaviest passive smoke exposure carried 32 percent higher risk.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Lifestyle, Health News, #vivvo-import

BY Jimmy Downs

Tuesday Oct 9, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Cigarette smoking passively or actively may increase risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, according to a study in British Medical Journal.

The study led by J. Luo of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA and colleagues showed current and past cigarette smokers, passive or active, were more likely to develop breast cancer, compared to those who were never smoking cigarette s.

The prospective cohort study was based on data on history of cigarette smoking from 79,990 women aged 50 to 79 enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study from1993 through 1998\. During the average 10.3 years of follow-up, 3,520 incident cases of invasive breast cancer were identified. 

Compared with women who had never smoked cigarettes or tobacco, those who were former smokers were 9 percent more likely to develop breast cancer and those who were current cigarette smokers were 16 percent more likely to develop the disease.

Significantly higher risk of breast cancer was found in active cigarette smokers with high intensity and duration of smoking and those who started smoking in the teenage years

The highest breast cancer risk was observed among women who had smoked for 50 more years. Compared with those who had never smoked for their life time, these women were 35 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. The risk was increased by 45 percent if they were compared to those who were neither life-time non-smokerrs, nor life-time non-passive smokers.

An increase in risk of breast cancer was found to persist for up to 20 years after smoking cessation. 

Among women who had never smoked cigarettes or tobacco, after adjustment for potential confounders, those with the most extensive exposure to passive smoking were found at 32 percent elevated risk of breast cancer, compared with those who had never exposed to passive smoking. 

The most extensive exposure was defined as having been exposed to passive cigarette smoking for 10 or more years in childhood, 20 or more ears as an adult at home, and 10 or more years as as adult at work. 

However, no significant association between passive smoking and risk of breast cancer and clear-cut dose response to passive smoking exposure was found in those with less extensive exposure to passive smoking.

The researchers concluded active smoking was correlated with an increased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women and passive smoking was associated with an increased risk of the disease.

Another study led by F. Xue at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA , USA found similar associations between ever cigarette smoking and risk of breast cancer. The greater increase in risk of breast cancer was associated with passive and active smoking, current and passive smoking, smoking for a longer period and starting to smoke at a younger age, longer smoking period and more pack-years of smoking.

The study published in Archives of Internal Medicine also found premenopausal cigarette smoking, particularly prior to the first birth was associated with a greater increase in the risk of breast cancer. In contrast, postmenopausal women who were smokers were found to have a lower risk of developing breast cancer. And passive smoking in childhood and adulthood was not associated with breast cancer risk.

Still another study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found passive cigarette smoking was associated with up to 25 percent increased risk of breast cancer, particularly in postmenopausal women who themselves never smoked cigarettes.

The study was conducted by P. Reynolds of Northern California Cancer Center in Berkeley, California.