A recent study published in Breast Cancer Research suggests that asymmetric breasts may be an indicating factor of breast cancer.  Researchers at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom examined this possibility by studying the mammograms of 252 breast cancer patients, and 252 women without breast cancer.  

According to the study, results indicated that breast asymmetry may be a “significant independent predictor” of the onset of breast cancer.  “This is the first evidence of a possible link between breast asymmetry and predisposition to breast cancer,” commented the study’s pioneer Diane Scutt of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Liverpool.  

While researchers do not know yet know how much asymmetry may indicate an elevated risk, Scutt added, “We can say that in the group we studied, the relative odds of developing breast cancer were 1.5 for every 100 milliliters difference.  That is, risk increased by 50 percent for each 100 milliliters of asymmetry.”  

Dr. Scutt believes that the reason for the heightened risk with asymmetric breast may be due to the woman’s ability to handle hormonal imbalances occurring during development.

“Breasts develop rapidly just prior to and during puberty, and the importance of estrogen in the development and growth of breasts is well-established,” Scutt commented.  “Symmetrical-breast development may very well be an indicator of an individual’s ability to tolerate disruptive hormonal variation [that occurs during this developmental stage] while maintaining developmental stability.”  

While estrogen exposure to breast tissue has been proven to be a cause of breast cancer, predictions regarding why asymmetry may lead to breast cancer are still premature.  Dr. Paul Ian Tartter, a surgeon at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Comprehensive Breast Center believes that the study must be duplicated before a definitive conclusion is established.  

A registered nurse specialist with Breast Cancer Care added, “There are many causes of breast
asymmetry, and for many women having slightly different-shaped breasts is perfectly normal.”

You may wish to speak with a trusted health care provider regarding your questions about breast cancer.