A woman carries her surfboard on 'praia do futuro' beach in Fortaleza
A woman carries her surfboard on 'praia do futuro' beach in Fortaleza June 7, 2014. The upcoming soccer World Cup in Brazil was supposed to be the party to end all parties. But less than a week before kickoff on June 12, Brazil feels anything but festive. An economic boom that catapulted 40 million people out of poverty in the last decade, and motivated Brazil to host the world's most popular sports event, has waned. Picture taken June 7. REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler

Women with more number of moles on their body may have a higher chance of suffering from breast cancer, a recent study claims.

This is not the first time moles are related to a disease. There is already a close relation between moles and skin cancer, as claimed by scientists. Now a couple of new studies claim that moles are related to breast cancer as well. The studies are not, however, able to explain how moles are related to breast cancer. On the other hand, hormone levels influence both breast cancer and moles, NBC News reported. The majority of moles are totally harmless. Nevertheless, dermatologists say that it will be wise to pay more attention to moles on a body. If there is any bleeding or sudden growth itching, it should be reported.

The studies are conducted by two teams, one in France while the other in the U.S. The researchers studied tens of thousands of surveys where women had been asked about the number of moles they had along with other relevant questions. The women were kept under observation for years.

Around 75,000 female nurses from Harvard University and Indiana University were observed for 24 years as a part of the U.S. study. Women with 15 or more moles were observed to be 35 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer than women who claimed to have less or no moles.

In the French research, around 90,000 women between the age 40 and 65 were enrolled in 1990. Those women who claimed to have several moles were 13 per cent more likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

However, according to California breast surgeon Dr Deanna Attai, women with several moles should not start to panic right away. She was more concerned about other factors like obesity. "A cause for alarm in women that have lots of (moles?). No, I don't think so," Attai said. "I would still put more emphasis on obesity and family history."

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au