Alcohol ups breast cancer recurrence risk

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Women who have at least three to four alcoholic drinks per week have a 1.3-fold greater chance of breast cancer recurrence, U.S. researchers found.

Marilyn L. Kwan of Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., said women who are post-menopausal or overweight may be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol on recurrence. Drinking fewer than three drinks per week was not associated with an increased risk, Kwan said.

Kwan and colleagues examined the effects of alcohol on cancer recurrence and mortality in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology Study -- 1,897 early-stage breast cancer survivors diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer from 1997-2000.

After eight years of follow-up, Kwan and colleagues found 349 breast cancer recurrences and 332 deaths. Increased risk of the cancer coming back was most predominant among those who consumed two or more glasses of wine per day.

"Women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should consider limiting their consumption of alcohol to less than three drinks per week, especially women who are postmenopausal and overweight or obese," Kwan said in a statement.

The findings were presented at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center, the American Association for Cancer Research and Baylor College of Medicine San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.