Migration History, Language Acculturation, and Mammographic Breast Density

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Biomarkers
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Lower breast cancer incidence is observed in U.S. ethnic minority and foreign-born populations.
• Migration and acculturation may influence breast cancer risk biomarkers, offering insights into underlying mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare breast cancer risk factors and mammographic breast density (MBD) across U.S.-born and foreign-born women.
• To examine associations between migration history, acculturation, and MBD.

Main Methods:

• Compared risk factors in U.S.-born white, African American, Hispanic women, and foreign-born Hispanic women (n=477, ages 40-64).
• Utilized linear regression to assess migration history and linguistic acculturation's impact on MBD (percent and area of dense breast tissue).
• Accounted for age, body mass index, and other risk factors like parity and childhood body size.

Main Results:

• Foreign-born Hispanic women exhibited significantly lower MBD compared to U.S.-born Hispanic women.
• Lower linguistic acculturation and a smaller percentage of life spent in the U.S. were associated with reduced MBD.
• Associations between nativity/acculturation and MBD were partially attenuated after adjusting for traditional risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Hispanic women, especially those born in Caribbean countries, have lower MBD than U.S.-born women of various ethnicities.
• MBD may serve as a biomarker reflecting geographic and migration-related variations in breast cancer risk.