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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Systems Biology of Metabolic Regulation by Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Breast Cancer
Published on: March 17, 2016
Risk factors for estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer
E Shelley Hwang1, Terri Chew, Stephen Shiboski
1Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, Cancer Center, 94115, USA. shelley.hwang@ucsfmedctr.org
Hypothesis:
Some risk factors associated with breast cancer may be more predictive of estrogen receptor (ER)- positive than ER-negative tumors.
Design:
Survey of patients enrolled in a study of breast cancer risk factors.
Setting:
Community population in a northern California county.
Patients:
A total of 234 individuals diagnosed as having breast cancer between July 1, 1997, and June 30, 1999, reporting Marin County, California, residence and participating in a questionnaire regarding exposure to breast cancer risk factors.
Main Outcome Measure:
Diagnosis of ER-positive vs ER-negative breast cancer.
Results:
Comparison between ER-positive and ER-negative cases showed several factors predictive of ER-positive tumors. In a multivariate model, years of hormone therapy use remained the most significant predictor of ER-positive disease.
Conclusions:
Patients diagnosed as having ER-positive breast cancer were more likely to have undergone hormone therapy. The excess of ER-positive breast cancers reported in Marin County could, therefore, in part, be related to hormone therapy.
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