In good news for women who suffer from migraine, a recent study found that migraine is not associated with breast cancer.
Results from previous studies linking the two have been inconsistent. Additionally, researchers have not studied a potential biological mechanism between the two. However, some experts have suggested that some hormone levels, including estrogen, may be responsible for a link because higher hormone levels have been associated with breast cancer, and fluctuating hormone levels can trigger migraine.
To investigate this further, Rulla M. Tamimi, ScD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data from more than 115,000 women, of which nearly 17,700 reported having been diagnosed with migraine.
Researchers found migraine was not associated with breast cancer. Additionally, among more than 2,000 premenopausal women, they found that endogenous sex hormone levels did not differ by migraine status.
The authors conclude, “In this large cohort study, migraine was not associated with breast cancer risk or differences in endogenous sex hormone levels.”
The article appeared in JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.