REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NEW YORK - Young women who smoke may have an increased risk of a common type of breast cancer, according to a new study.

Researchers found that women between 20 and 44 years old who had smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for at least 10 years were 60 percent more likely than those who smoked less to develop so-called estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Smokers were not more likely to develop a less common form of breast cancer known as triple-negative breast cancer, which tends to be more aggressive.

"I think that there is growing evidence that breast cancer is another health hazard associated with smoking," Dr. Christopher Li, the study's senior author from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Previous research has found links between smoking and breast cancer, Li and his colleagues note in the journal Cancer. The studies looking at breast cancer among younger women have produced conflicting results, however. They also say there are still questions about whether smoking is linked to an increased risk of some types of breast cancer but not others.

"I think there is a growing appreciation that breast cancer is not just one disease and there are many different subtypes," Li said. "In this study, we were able to look at the different molecular subtypes and how smoking affects them."

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