What is menopause and how it’s related to breast cancer?

Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman's reproductive years. Menopause is confirmed when a woman has not gone through her menstrual period for 12 consecutive months and is generally considered to occur around the age of 50. After menopause, women no longer have the potential to become pregnant.

The ovaries are responsible for the production of eggs for fertilization, as well as the synthesis of hormones. The entire menstruation process is regulated by female reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone, which are secreted by the ovaries. Menopause occurs when the ovaries cease to produce eggs and hormones.

As women approach menopause, their ovaries gradually stop producing estrogen. Without this key hormone, fat tissue is the only source of estrogen in the body. This can cause overweight or obese women to have elevated levels of estrogen. Some studies suggest that this increased exposure to reproductive hormones may put these women at greater risk for developing breast cancer.

New research has shown that women who are obese before menopause are at a higher risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer. In contrast, women who gain weight after menopause are more likely to develop hormone-positive breast cancer. Breast cancer is classified based on the hormone status in order to determine the most effective treatment plan.

Tumor biopsies can reveal whether a breast cancer is hormone-positive. This means that estrogen or progesterone receptors are present on cancer cells. Hormone-positive breast cancers are typically fast-growing and tend to spread quickly to nearby tissues.