Breast cancer is the main form of cancer in approximately 30% of cases among females. According to new research, heart disease has overtaken cancer as the chief cause of death in older women.
Analysis of data from the SEER-Medicare database has indicated that two thirds of women who suffer from breast cancer died from other causes. The leading cause of death in these cases is cardiovascular disease. Researchers at the University of Colorado undertook the analysis which covered 60,000 US women, who were at least 66 years old.
At the end of the study, which took 9 years to complete, approximately 50% of the women had died. However, only 30% of these had died from the cancer. The main cause of death was in fact heart disease. Other causes of death included diabetes, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
One of the researchers involved in the analysis stated that cancer is a very big killer and is responsible for approximately one quarter of all deaths. She also said that breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence to those who suffer from it, and that patients need to take more care of their general health and well-being. This will aid in the reduction of death from cardiovascular disease and other diseases related to the normal aging process.
