Breast Cancer Recovery Not Linked to General Cancer Recovery

Breast cancer patients, with a family history of the disease often tend to worry about their prognosis during the recovery period.

They usually fear that chances of recurrence are higher and the outcome of the disease may be more deadly.

According to the findings of a new study, scientists have proved that these fears are unwarranted especially for women who are 40 years old or younger.

For the study, researchers analysed the medical files from over 3000 women who were treated for breast cancer.

Patients who had relatives diagnosed with ovarian or breast cancer, were not found to be at a greater risk of cancer recurrence when compared to women with no family history.

"Successful treatment for breast cancer is just as likely in young patients with a family history of breast cancer, as in those without a family history," said one of the researchers Ramsey Cutress, associate professor in breast surgery at the University of Southampton in Britain.

With these findings, Cutress goes on to add that younger women can feel reassured "that their cancer should be treated in the usual way, and that the family history alone will not impact on their outcome."

"Patients with a family history of breast cancer can, therefore, be reassured that their family history alone does not mean that their outcome will be worse," he concludes.

The study was published in the British Journal of Surgery.