A new study suggests women who suffer from migraines have a significantly lower breast cancer risk compared to women who do not experience severe headaches.
Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington found that women who have a history of migraines have a 30 per cent lower risk of developing breast cancer.
The study also found that a history of migraines reduced the risk of estrogen-receptor and/or progesterone-receptor tumours, which are the most common subtypes of breast cancer.
This is the first study of its kind to find a link between migraines and breast cancer.
Preliminary data from two other studies the team has conducted confirm these findings.
"While these results need to be interpreted with caution, they point to a possible new factor that may be related to breast-cancer risk," said lead study author Dr. Christopher Li.
"This gives us a new avenue to explore the biology behind risk reduction."
The findings are published in the November issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low
