Smoking and Alcohol Use Not Associated with TNBC in Postmenopausal Women

Postmenopausal women who smoke and use alcohol do not face an increased risk of TNBC, according to research using data from the Women's Health Initiative. The study enrolled 148,030 women, 300 of whom had TNBC and 2,479 of whom had estrogen-positive disease. Smoking and alcohol use were both associated with ER+ breast cancer, but not with TNBC. The research was published in Cancer Causes Control in March 2011. Drinking actually slightly reduced the risk of TNBC.

Still, smoking is associated with lung cancer, so it is never a good thing. As for drinking, everything in moderation.