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Physical activity and mammographic breast density: a systematic review
Lusine Yaghjyan1, Graham A Colditz, Kathleen Wolin
1Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8100, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA, yaghjyanl@wudosis.wustl.edu
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
|July 21, 2012
Summary
Physical activity is linked to lower breast cancer risk, but this review found no association between exercise and mammographic breast density. Therefore, exercise likely reduces breast cancer risk through mechanisms other than breast density.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Physical activity is associated with reduced breast cancer risk.
- Mammographic breast density is a significant risk factor for breast cancer.
- The role of mammographic breast density in mediating the physical activity-breast cancer relationship is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review studies examining the association between physical activity and mammographic breast density.
- To discuss methodological challenges in research on physical activity and breast density.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 20 studies published before October 31, 2011.
- Searches conducted in PubMed Central, BioMed Central, Embase, and Scopus.
- Studies analyzed based on timing of physical activity assessment and menopausal status.
Main Results:
- No consistent evidence of an association between physical activity and mammographic breast density was found.
- This null finding persisted across different timings of physical activity assessment (adolescence, current, past, lifetime) and menopausal statuses (premenopausal, postmenopausal).
Conclusions:
- The protective effect of physical activity against breast cancer is unlikely to be mediated by changes in mammographic breast density.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative biological pathways linking physical activity to breast cancer risk reduction.
