Predictors of breast cancer in women recalled following screening

Established risk factors are associated with between 25 and 56% of breast cancer cases, but the relative importance and relevance to different age groups is unclear.

This case-control study examines established risk factors in 298 women with breast cancer and 1926 women without breast cancer aged 40-87 who were recalled for assessment following routine mammography.

The cancer group were significantly older than the non-cancer group (F1,222 = 107.6; P < 0.0001). Postmenopausal obesity increased the odds of developing breast cancer (OR: 2.35; CI: 1.33-4.16). The breast cancer group were more likely to have used oral contraceptives (OR: 1.50; CI: 1.09-2.05), and women who used contraceptives for more than 10 years in total were at the highest risk (OR: 1.73; CI: 1.13-2.65). Daily consumption of alcohol was also associated with increased risk of developing breast cancer (OR: 1.62; CI: 1.13-2.33). Reproductive factors and a family history of breast cancer did not affect the odds of developing breast cancer and the reasons for these findings are explored.

Results suggest that the effects of weight reduction in reducing postmenopausal breast cancer risk should be assessed.