Environment and Breast Cancer: Science Review


Evidence From Humans
 
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Relative weight, weight change, height, and breast cancer risk in Asian-American women
Ziegler, R. G., Hoover, R. N., Nomura, A. M., West, D. W., Wu, A. H., Pike, M. C., Lake, A. J., Horn-Ross, P. L., Kolonel, L. N., Siiteri, P. K., Fraumeni, J. F., Jr. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1996. 88:10, 650-60.
Topic area
Body size
Study design
Population based case-control
Funding agency
NCI Intramural Program
Study Participants
Number of Cases
597 (421 pre) (112 post)
Menopausal Status
The menopausal status of women included in this study is listed here.
Pre menopausal
Post menopausal
Number of Controls
Control: 966
Participant selection: Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Criteria used to select participants in the study.
In: age 20-55 at baseline, diagnosed with breast cancer between 4/1/83 and 6/30/87 (cases), resident of San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles, or Oahu at baseline, and at least 50% Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino or a mixture of these ethnicities Ex: older than 55 at baseline, women diagnosed with previous breast cancer or double mastectomies (controls)
Comment about participation selection
Strengths: findings were consistent with a meta-analysis of case-control data from countries at high, moderate and low risk of breast cancer, and obtained weight by decades so that weight change could be analyzed throughout life Limitations: few postmenopausal cases, and anthropometric data self-reported
Exposure Investigated
Exposures investigated
Height, weight change as adult and wt/ht^1.5
How exposure was measured
Questionnaire, self-administered
Exposure assessment comment
Anthropometric data self-reported
Statistical Analysis
Ethnic groups with separate analysis
If this study provided a separate analysis by ethnic or racial group, the groups are listed here.
Asian Americans (Chinese, Japanese, Filipino)
Confounders considered
Other breast cancer risk factors, such as family history, age at first birth, and hormone replacement therapy use, that were taken into account in the study.
Adequately controlled, Confounders: age at diagnosis, ethnicity, study center, age at first live birth, family history of breast cancer, history of benign breast disease
Genetic characterization included
If the study analyzed relationships between environmental factors and inherited genetic variations, this field will be marked “Yes.” “No”, if not.
No
Description of major analysis
Effect modifiers: age and menopausal status
Strength of associations reported
Association between breast cancer risk and height, >66 in. vs. <59 in., OR=2.01, 95% CI=1.16-3.49, trend p=0.003
Association between premenopausal breast cancer risk and height, >66 in. vs. <59 in., OR=1.90(1.00-3.61) trend p=0.03
Association between postmenopausal breast cancer risk and height, >66 in. vs. <59 in., OR=1.68(0.46-6.21) trend p=0.17
Association between breast cancer risk and relative weight (Wt/Ht^1.5), >31.3 vs. <22.9, OR=1.60(0.98-2.61) trend p=0.05
Association between premenopausal breast cancer risk and relative weight (Wt/Ht^1.5), >31.3 vs. <22.9, OR=1.60(0.87-2.94) trend p=0.17
Association between postmenopausal breast cancer risk and relative weight (Wt/Ht^1.5), >31.3 vs. <22.9, OR=1.78(0.57-5.58) trend p=0.19
Association between breast cancer risk and height, >65 in. vs. <59 in., in women with a relative weight (Wt/Ht^1.5) of 28.1 or more, OR=2.62(1.08-6.32)
Results Comments
Trends in risk became more striking as adiposity in each succeeding decade of adult life was considered.
Author address
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-7374, USA.