New ICMR study unravels breast cancer risk factors among Indian women

A new study conducted by scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR has decoded the specific risk factors for breast cancer among women in IndiaBreast Cancer is among the top three cancers amongst women in India The incidence of breast cancers in the country is expected to rise by about 56 per cent annually translating to an estimated increase of 005 million new cases per yearThe team from ICMRrsquos National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research NCDIR Bengaluru conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis on 31 studies covering a total of 27925 participants with 45thinspper cent being diagnosed with breast cancerThe findings published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology showed that ldquoreproductive timing hormonal exposure central obesity and family history influence breast cancer risk primarily among Indian womenrdquoWomen with late menopause more than 50years first pregnancy after 30 years of age higher age at marriage multiple abortions and central obesity with waisttohip ratio more than 85 cm are at significant risk the researchers said in the paperAmong lifestyle factors poor sleep quality irregular sleep patterns sleeping in a lighted room and elevated stress levels were also positively associated with risk in individual studies In contrast higher levels of physical activity showed an inverse associationThe analysis found that women over 50 years had a threefold higher risk and women aged 3550 years had a 163fold increase in risk highlighting the importance of early screening for women in their fortiesHowever variations in age group classifications across studies may explain the observed heterogeneity In highincome countries breast cancer incidence rises significantly after the age of 50 with the majority of cases occurring in postmenopausal womenIn contrast India exhibits a relatively higher incidence of breast cancer in younger women typically between their 40s and 50sGenetic susceptibility earlier reproductive transitions and distinct lifestyle factors may contribute to this disparity These findings highlight the importance of early screening programmes for women in this age group to enable timely detection and intervention said the researchers led by Saravanan Vijayakumar from the ICMRNCDIR in the paperThe study stressed that it is important to consider low BMI as a potential risk factor for breast cancer prognosis and treatment outcomes as these findings highlightAs India has a high prevalence of abdominal obesity lifestyle interventions aimed at reducing waist circumference may be beneficial for preventing breast cancerNotably the review also highlighted the critical need for large extensive populationbased prospective cohort studies in India to define breast cancer prevention and early detection strategies with greater precisionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever