Washington, June 21: With breast cancer survival chances improved owing to treatment advances, women with the disease stand a greater chance of dying from other causes, like cardiovascular disease, a new study involving an Indian-origin researcher has found.

Scientists at the University of Colorado have found that two thirds of women with breast cancer died from other causes, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death.

They analysed data from the SEER-Medicare database and followed over 60,000 women in the United States, who were at least 66 years old, from breast cancer diagnosis for up to 12 years.

Almost half of the women were still alive at the end of the study. Of those who died, living on average to a respectable 83, more than two thirds died from causes other than breast cancer.

In fact cardiovascular disease killed more women with breast cancer than the cancer itself.

Jennifer Patnaik, from University of Colorado Denver, said, "Cancer is a big killer and is responsible for about a quarter of all deaths. However breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence and patients need to take care of their health to reduce their risk of dying from heart disease and other age-related diseases."

The study has been published in BioMed Central''s open access journal Breast Cancer Research. (ANI)