Women of Irish descent least likely to develop the disease

Women of Scandinavian descent were found to be at greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to women of other Caucasian nationalities, a study said Wednesday. IN WHAT Mayo Clinic researchers said is the first study to compare breast cancer risk among white ethnicities, the study of 27,578 post-menopausal women living in Iowa found that women of Irish descent were the least likely among women of European descent to develop the disease. Among women of Irish descent, the rate of breast cancer diagnosis was 353 out of 100,000 women per year. The rate among women of Norwegian and Swedish descent - Scandinavians - was 488 out of 100,000, or 40 percent higher.
"...This study suggests that risks vary among Caucasians", - said Mayo Clinic epidemiologist Thomas Sellers, who authored the study that appeared in the journal, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

The relevance of a family history for breast cancer, which is one of the most important risk factors for the disease, also varied among the Caucasian groups studied. Women of Irish and Scandinavian descent had the least correlation between breast cancer risk and family history for the disease, while there was a stronger association for those of other European descent.