Violence, bereavement, debt and other stressful experiences do not increase the chances of breast cancer returning in a woman who has been treated for the disease.

The good news was announced in a new study by Europe's largest cancer charity, Cancer Research UK, and published in the British Medical Journal.

The study, headed by Professor Amanda Ramirez at Cancer Research UK's London Psychosocial Group, looked at more than 200 women with operable breast cancer and followed their progress over five years.

Despite the women suffering from a range of severely stressful problems such as domestic violence, children involved in crime, or financial difficulties which resulted in losing their home, researchers found that stress was not a risk factor in the recurrence of breast cancer.

Early research into whether severe emotional stress could influence the course and development of cancer has produced conflicting findings. But this study concluded that stressful life experiences do not increase the likelihood of a woman's breast cancer recurring over a five-year period.