Older women who contract breast cancer remain at risk from other diseases, researchers warn today.
A study of patients over the age of 66 has found that more than two thirds do not die from the disease – but from other causes.
The major cause of death is heart disease, which kills more of these women than breast cancer itself.
The research from the University of Colorado, USA, is published in the journal Breast Cancer Research.
British experts said the findings showed that women with breast cancer need to take care of their general health.
Natasha Stewart, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “Heart disease is the single most common cause of death for women in the UK. We can’t afford to ignore the fact that it kills nearly 40,000 women each year – three times more than breast cancer.
“We also know that as women get older they’re much more susceptible to developing heart disease. So it’s vitally important that they don’t forget about their heart attack risk even if they’ve been diagnosed with something as serious as breast cancer.
“Both men and women can cut their risk by adopting a healthy lifestyle, including quitting smoking, doing regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet.”
Cardiovascular disease competes with breast cancer as the leading cause of death for older females diagnosed with breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study’, Jennifer L Patnaik et al. Breast Cancer Research, June 2011.
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