Premenopausal plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, mammographic density, and risk of breast cancer

Epidemiologic evidence for an association between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and breast cancer is inconsistent. Data are especially limited for premenopausal women and for associations with mammographic density. To test the hypothesis that plasma concentration of 25(OH)D is associated with mammographic density, we conducted a cross-sectional study among 835 premenopausal women in the Nurses' Health Studies. We measured 25(OH)D in blood samples and used multivariable linear regression to quantify the association of average percent density by quartile of plasma 25(OH)D. In a nested case-control analysis including 493 breast cancer cases, we evaluated risk of breast cancer associated with vitamin D status within tertiles of mammographic density. Women in the top quartile of plasma 25(OH)D levels had an average percent breast density 5.2 percentage points higher than women in the bottom quartile (95 % confidence interval: 1.8, 8.7; P trend <0.01), after adjusting for predictors of 25(OH)D and established breast cancer risk factors. Plasma 25(OH)D concentration was significantly inversely associated with breast cancer risk among women with high mammographic density (P trend < 0.01) but not among women in lower tertiles of mammographic density (P-interaction < 0.01). These results do not support the hypothesis that vitamin D is inversely associated with percent mammographic density in premenopausal women. There was evidence that the association between premenopausal 25(OH)D and breast cancer risk varies by mammographic density, with an inverse association apparent only among women with high mammographic density.