Periodontal disease ‘associated with elevated breast cancer risk’

Postmenopausal women with periodontal disease may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a new study.

The University at Buffalo research identified this association after monitoring 73,737 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, with periodontal disease reported in 26.1 percent of the cohort.

After a mean follow-up time of 6.7 years, 2,124 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. The risk of developing the cancer was shown to be 14 percent higher in women who had periodontal disease.

This likelihood was increased even further to 32 percent among women who had quit smoking within the past 20 years.

It was theorised that systemic inflammation associated with periodontal disease may affect breast tissue, or that bacteria from the mouth can enter the circulatory system and cause cancer through this route.

Dr Jo Freudenheim, a professor at the University at Buffalo's School of Public Health and Health Professions, said: "If we can study periodontal disease and breast cancer in other populations, and if we can do more detailed study of the characteristics of the periodontal disease, it would help us understand if there is a relationship."