The Prospective Association between Early Life Growth and Breast Density in Young Adult Women

Breast density is a strong intermediate endpoint to investigate the association between early-life exposures and breast cancer risk. This study investigates the association between early-life growth and breast density in young adult women measured using Optical Breast Spectroscopy (OBS) and Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). OBS measurements were obtained for 536 female Raine Cohort Study participants at ages 27-28, with 268 completing DXA measurements. Participants with three or more height and weight measurements from ages 8 to 22 were used to generate linear growth curves for height, weight and body mass index (BMI) using SITAR modelling. Three growth parameters (size, velocity and timing) were examined for association with breast density measures, adjusting for potential confounders. Women who reached their peak height rapidly (velocity) and later in adolescence (timing) had lower OBS-breast density. Overall, women who were taller (size) had higher OBS-breast density. For weight, women who grew quickly (velocity) and later in adolescence (timing) had higher absolute DXA-breast density. Overall, weight (size) was also inversely associated with absolute DXA-breast density, as was BMI. These findings provide new evidence that adolescent growth is associated with breast density measures in young adult women, suggesting potential mediation pathways for breast cancer risk in later life.