Studies show a link between high bone density and a higher risk of breast cancer. However, strong bones do not increase risk. High bone density is a marker for higher levels of blood estrogen, an important breast cancer risk factor. (Learn more about estrogen and breast cancer risk.) The more estrogen a woman produces in her lifetime, the more bone mass she has. While higher bone density is linked to a lower risk of osteoporosis, it may also be linked to a higher risk of breast cancer. Not all studies show a link between bone density and breast cancer risk [106]. However, most suggest that women with high bone density have about twice the breast cancer risk of those with low bone density [107-112].
Updated 11/12/09
