title: [Breast feeding: an effective method to prevent breast cancer].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer is the most common gynecological tumor in young women in Western countries. Its profound implications for health and an increasingly early age of diagnosis have been carefully analyzed its causes and possible preventive measures, making their study in a primary goal of epidemiological research.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed medical records pertaining to 504 female patients aged 19 to 91 years. All of them were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer between 2003-2008 at the Hospital Universitario "San Cecilio" of Granada (Spain).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a significant correlation (p = 0.001) between the age of cancer diagnosis, length of breastfeeding, and the existence of personal and family history for cancer. By contrast, there were no statistically significant differences test (t-test) between the average age of diagnosis of cancer and having had offspring or not (t = 0.559, p = 0.576).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breastfeeding for periods of longer than six months, not only provides children with many health benefits, but may also protect the mother from serious diseases, such as breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada, Granada, España. mariajaguilar@telefonica.net
authors.forename: Maria J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Aguilar Cordero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: González Jiménez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Álvarez Ferre
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Padilla López
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mur Villar
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: García López
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Valenza Peña
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult