A previous study done in 2008 had also indicated that women suffering from migraine headaches have a lower probability of getting breast cancer
.
The current study is a follow-up of that research but it has a significantly higher number of volunteers than the previous one. Also, the geographical area covered is more than before.
Christopher Li, MD, PhD, the lead author of both the studies, was quoted as saying, “It does appear that migraines may protect women from breast cancer, and that it’s equally protective for both younger and older women.” He further added, “We see a 26 percent reduction in risk associated with migraine.”
In the earlier study, researchers had taken into account 1,938 women suffering from breast cancer and 1,474 healthy women. All these women were aged between 55 and 79 years.
It was discovered that those suffering from migraine had a 33 percent lesser possibility of getting breast cancer.
Migraine and breast cancer risk interrelated
Coming to the new study, Li and his fellow researchers did a comparison of more than 4,500 women detected with breast cancer between 1994 and 1998, with more than 4,500 healthy women. All these women were in the age group of 35 to 64 years.
The women were asked questions pertaining to their history of migraine, reproductive history, hormone therapy use, consumption of birth control pills, menopausal condition, body mass index, alcohol intake and smoking habits.
It was found that women who had a previous record of migraine headaches were 26 percent less susceptible to getting breast cancer. This was in comparison to those women who did not have any migraine problems.
The reduction in the breast cancer risk was the same irrespective of a woman’s menopausal status, the age at which migraines were identified by a doctor and consumption of prescribed migraine medicines.
It also did not depend on whether a woman avoided alcohol consumption or did not undergo hormone replacement therapy, both of them considered to trigger off migraine and raise breast cancer risk.
Li said, “Migraine may in fact be an independent predictor of breast cancer reduction risk.”
How does migraine reduce breast cancer risk
Li explained that it is still not clear as to how migraine headaches lower the risk of breast cancer.
It could probably be that variations in reproductive hormones are the reason behind this. This is because migraines mostly happen when estrogen levels drop. And higher estrogen levels increase the susceptibility to breast cancer.
But Scott Maul, MD, a medical oncologist in Milwaukee, said, “Not all migraines are due to hormone fluctuations.”
Hence, the connection is still not fully established. “The real connection is unclear,” said Len Lichtenfeld, MD, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta. He added that there could be many other factors apart from the hormones.
“Postmenopausal women who are obese are at higher risk for breast cancer,” he stated. “That is thought to be related to the higher circulating estrogen levels.”
Limitations of the study
Though the new study does establish a link between migraines and breast cancer risk, it is still not conclusive.
Firstly, it depended on the self-report method of the volunteers, which is generally not reliable as their memory is not perfect. Secondly, migraine is only one of the factors linked with breast cancer. Therefore, a more thorough research is needed in the subject.
Li and his team will now look at the science behind how migraines can lessen breast cancer risk so as to help non-migraine sufferers as well.
The new study appears in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Post new comment