Studies High risk of breast cancer in women due to periodontitis

Promotes periodontitis breast cancer?
In women who develop periodontitis after menopause, there is an increased risk of getting breast cancer, according to a new study. Especially if they used to smoke. There is evidence for a long time that periodontitis can promote various diseases, including heart attacks.
Periodontitis promotes various diseases
In Germany, about three in four adults suffer from periodontitis. This chronic inflammation of the periodontium not only damages the teeth but, according to scientific studies, can also cause life-threatening illnesses. As a result of the inflammatory foci in the gums, the germs can enter the bloodstream, causing diabetes, vascular calcification and heart attacks, among other things. A new study from the US has now shown that postmenopausal women with periodontal disease are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, especially if they have smoked in the past.

Breast cancer risk due to periodontitis. Image: Dan Race - fotolia

14 percent increased breast cancer risk
Periodontal disease has previously been associated with cancers of the head and neck, esophagus, pancreas, and lungs. A research team led by Jo L. Freudenheim from the University of Buffalo in New York State analyzed data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. As the scientists in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention" reported, of the 73,737 postmenopausal women, 2,124 had invasive breast cancer during an observation period of 6.7 years. It also states that women with periodontitis had a 14 percent increased risk.

Smoking promotes periodontitis
It has long been known that smoking is an important risk factor for periodontitis. It increases the tooth loss risk. The team around Freudenheim therefore also examined the connection between inflammation and smoking. It was found that women with periodontitis who had given up smoking in the past 20 years had a 36-fold higher risk of breast cancer. In smokers with periodontitis, the risk was increased by 32 percent. By contrast, the risk for women who have never smoked was only six percent.

Different oral flora
Despite the findings, Freudenheim does not consider causality to be proven. It is conceivable that the inflammation associated with periodontitis acts on the breast tissue. It is also possible that bacteria from the mouth have an influence. "We know that the bacteria in the mouth of smokers and those who have recently stopped are different from those in the mouths of non-smokers," said Ms Freudenheim in a statement from the American Association for Cancer Research ("AACR"). , Although periodontal disease causes bacteria to enter the circulation over and over again, whether this also promotes the development of breast cancer is ultimately not fully understood. "There is still much to understand about the possible connection between oral bacteria and breast cancer," says the expert. (Ad)