Abstract
Breast cancer is amongst the most common forms of cancer, is predominantly a woman’s illness, and is the most frequently reported invasive cancer in women worldwide (Bray et al., 2018). Varying risk factors have been identified, including genetics, family history, lifestyle, age and the use of hormone replacement therapy. Mastitis, also predominantly a woman’s illness, is an inflammatory condition of the breast that, despite being an inflammation-related condition, is not currently considered a risk factor for breast cancer. This appears counterintuitive as epidemiological studies have identified chronic inflammation as a contributor to cancer risk, for example in gastric, oesophageal and colon cancers (Lin et al., 2016; Qadri et al., 2014; Principe et al., 2017). Previous reports have focused on women hospitalised for mastitis, and most commonly on puerperal mastitis, perhaps underestimating the relationship between breast cancer and non-lactational mastitis. Our hypothesis, based on systematic review, suggests that a longitudinal study of this disease, affecting women predominantly, is warranted.
Highlights
Background to the hypothesisBreast cancer is amongst the most common forms of cancer, is predominantly a woman’s illness, and is the most frequently reported invasive cancer in women worldwide [1]
Predominantly a woman’s illness, is an inflammatory condition of the breast that can be caused by milk stasis or infection
Despite mastitis being an inflammation-related condition, it is not currently considered a risk factor for breast cancer. This appears counterintuitive as epidemiological studies have identified chronic inflammation as a contributor to cancer risk, for example in gastric, oesophageal and colon cancers [2,3,4]
Summary
Background to the hypothesisBreast cancer is amongst the most common forms of cancer, is predominantly a woman’s illness, and is the most frequently reported invasive cancer in women worldwide [1]. Referred to as lactation mastitis, is the more common, and is a result of milk stasis or infection occurring in women who have recently given birth and are, most likely, breast-feeding [5]. Given the known associations between inflammation and development of cancer, it appears rational to evaluate the potential relationship between mastitis-related inflammation and breast cancer, and it is surprising perhaps that this has not been done prior to this study.
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