Gum disease linked to breast cancer risk in older women

By Kathryn Doyle (Reuters Health) – Middle-aged and older women with gum disease are slightly more likely than those without gum problems to develop breast cancer, suggests a new study. The risk increase was most pronounced for women with gum disease who smoked cigarettes or had quit within the past 20 years, although the authors caution that the reasons for the links are still not known. “We don’t know if it’s causal, we need to keep that in mind,” said lead author Jo Freudenheim, distinguished professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the University at Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions in New York State.

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Gum disease linked to breast cancer risk in older women