The recent research done by researchers from the University of Arizona in Tucson found a connection between bone mineral density (BMD) and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Generally doctors use Gail model to determine breast cancer risk in women. The researchers claimed that combination of results of BMD test with the results obtained through Gail model will enhance doctors’ ability to predict breast cancer risk in older women.
 
The researchers analyzed the data collected from 9941 older women over span of 8.43 years. Out of these women, 327 women developed breast cancer. In the starting of the study, researchers calculated hip BMD and Gail risk scores for the women. In the end of the study, researchers found that the risk of breast cancer increases by 35 percent, if women had high Gail risk score. The study also found that breast cancer risk increases by 25 percent with each unit increase in hip BMD.

The researchers concluded that women who had the highest scores in both test had a higher risk of breast cancer. But till now no direct relation has been found in BMD and Gail risk model. Gail risk model assesses various factors related to family and reproductive history, age, and race/ethnicity, along with history of breast biopsies and atypical breast findings.

The combined scores of Gail risk model and hip bone density will efficiently equip the doctors to recognize the risk of breast cancer in women. This finding doesn’t declare that strong bones promote breast cancer. Some times strong bones are result of higher level of estrogen in body. Hence estrogen leads to increased bone mass and higher risk of breast cancer. Obese women have higher risk of breast cancer because estrogen is churned out in body fat.