Hormone-Related Factors and Risk of Breast Cancer
Huang WY, Newman B, Millikan RC, et al. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;151:703-714.
We examined risk factors for subgroups of breast cancer characterized by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status using data from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study, a population-based, case-control study of 862 breast cancer patients aged 20 to 74 years in whom breast cancer was diagnosed between 1993 and 1996 and 790 controls who were frequency-matched based on race and age.
The majority of ER and PR statuses were retrieved from medical records (80%) or were determined in the study authors' laboratory (11%). ER and PR data were missing for 9% of cases. The receptor status distribution was as follows: 53% ER-positive/PR-positive, 11% ER-positive/PR-negative, 8% ER-negative/PR-positive, and 28% ER-negative/PR-negative.
Several hormone-related factors were associated with higher increased risk of ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer than of ER-negative/PR-negative breast cancer. The elevated odds ratios (ORs) were strongest for ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer among postmenopausal women who had experienced menarche at an early age (OR, 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-2.4); who were nulliparous or had a first full-term pregnancy at a late age (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9-3.2 and OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.7, respectively); or who had a high body mass index (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.9-3.0). Elevated ORs were also strong among premenopausal/ perimenopausal women who had a high waist-hip ratio (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1).
Conversely, family history of breast or ovarian cancer and medical radiation exposure to the chest resulted in higher ORs for ER-negative/PR-negative breast cancer than for ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer, especially among premenopausal/perimenopausal women.
Huang WY, Newman B, Millikan RC, et al. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;151:703-714.
We examined risk factors for subgroups of breast cancer characterized by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status using data from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study, a population-based, case-control study of 862 breast cancer patients aged 20 to 74 years in whom breast cancer was diagnosed between 1993 and 1996 and 790 controls who were frequency-matched based on race and age.
The majority of ER and PR statuses were retrieved from medical records (80%) or were determined in the study authors' laboratory (11%). ER and PR data were missing for 9% of cases. The receptor status distribution was as follows: 53% ER-positive/PR-positive, 11% ER-positive/PR-negative, 8% ER-negative/PR-positive, and 28% ER-negative/PR-negative.
Several hormone-related factors were associated with higher increased risk of ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer than of ER-negative/PR-negative breast cancer. The elevated odds ratios (ORs) were strongest for ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer among postmenopausal women who had experienced menarche at an early age (OR, 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0-2.4); who were nulliparous or had a first full-term pregnancy at a late age (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9-3.2 and OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0-2.7, respectively); or who had a high body mass index (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.9-3.0). Elevated ORs were also strong among premenopausal/ perimenopausal women who had a high waist-hip ratio (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.1).
Conversely, family history of breast or ovarian cancer and medical radiation exposure to the chest resulted in higher ORs for ER-negative/PR-negative breast cancer than for ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer, especially among premenopausal/perimenopausal women.