Environment and Breast Cancer: Science Review


Evidence From Humans
 
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Occupational and leisure time physical activity and the risk of breast cancer
Levi, F.,, Pasche, C.,, Lucchini, F.,, LaVecchia, C. European Journal of Cancer. 1999. 35:5, 775-778.
Topic area
Physical Activity - Body size
Study design
Hospital based case-control
Funding agency
Other: Swiss National Science Foundation and Swiss
Study Participants
Number of Cases
246 (75 pre) (171 post)
Menopausal Status
The menopausal status of women included in this study is listed here.
Pre menopausal
Post menopausal
Number of Controls
Control: 374 (129 pre) (245 post)
Participant selection: Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Criteria used to select participants in the study.
In: women diagnosed with incident, histologically confirmed breast cancer at the University Hospital of Lausanne between 1/93 and 8/98 (cases); age 29-74 (cases); age 27-74 (controls); admitted to hospitals in the same catchment area as cases for acute non-neoplastic, non-gynaecological, non-hormone-related conditions (controls)
Comment about participation selection
Strengths: fairly large case-control; controls were mainly traumas admitted to the hospital; conducted in-person interviews; obtained physical activity data at various periods of the participants' lives; assessed total calorie intake; stratified results by menopausal status; analyzed breast cancer risk by occupational and leisure-time physical activity at various ages; cases and controls came from comparable catchment areas Limitations: self-reported physical activity and BMI data; does not report participation rate; possible recall bias
Exposure Investigated
Exposures investigated
Physical activity and BMI
How exposure was measured
Questionnaire, in person
Exposure assessment comment
Self-reported physical activity and BMI data
Ethnic groups with separate analysis
If this study provided a separate analysis by ethnic or racial group, the groups are listed here.
No
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, education, age at menarche, age at first birth, number of births, menopausal status, age at menopause, calorie intake, previous benign breast disease and family history of breast cancer
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: menopausal status
Strength of associations reported
Inverse association between breast cancer risk and high level of occupational physical activity at age 30-39 years, OR=0.53(0.29-0.96)
Inverse association between breast cancer risk and high level of leisure-time physical activity at age 15-19 years, OR=0.39(0.25-0.63)
Inverse association between breast cancer risk and high level of leisure-time physical activity at age 30-39 years, OR=0.41(0.25-0.65)
Inverse association between breast cancer risk and high level of leisure-time physical activity at age 50-59 years, OR=0.39(0.21-0.72)
Inverse association between breast cancer risk and high level of occupational physical activity in pre and post women, OR=0.42(0.18-0.99) and OR=0.40(0.23-0.70) respectively