A new study disputes the notion that stress raises a woman's risk of breast cancer.

Some previous studies have suggested such a link, but others were inconclusive. A British study, published in December, found that women who said they suffered severe stress in the previous five years were 50 percent more likely to have breast cancer.But the new study, from the University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, found no relationship at all. The study was published in today's issue of Cancer, the journal of the Atlanta-based American Cancer Society.

"If stress plays a role in the development of cancer, it plays a very minor role," said Barrie Cassileth of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an expert on psychosocial aspects of cancer. She wrote an editorial about the research for the journal.

"Studies like this are important. Patients need to be protected against the idea that they brought on their cancer," she said.

The Wisconsin study asked 872 women, including 258 women who had breast cancer, about stressful events in the past five years, such as retirement, deaths among family or friends, and changes in marital status.

Women with breast cancer and those without it reported experiencing virtually the same number of stressful events - 2.4 and 2.6, respectively. And when the two groups of women were asked to rate the severity of those events, the total scores they gave were about the same - 1.6 and 1.7.

To double-check the women's memories, the researchers re-interviewed 70 participants six months later. Most of the women recalled the same stressful events, supporting the findings.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.