Alcoholic beverage consumption and breast cancer in a French case-control study

An association between regular consumption of alcohol with meals and breast cancer was found in a French case-control study of 1,010 women with breast cancer and 1,950 women with nonmalignant diseases; the relative risk of breast cancer for women drinking alcoholic beverages with meals compared with nondrinkers was 1.47 (p = 10(-4) allowing for classical risk factors. Detailed information on alcohol consumption was obtained from 500 cases and 945 controls; the risks of breast cancer were greater for women drinking beer and for women drinking wine than for nondrinkers, and the risk increased with the amount of beer, of wine and of total alcohol consumption in grams of pure alcohol.     

A case-control study of alcoholic beverage consumption and breast cancer

In many studies, moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with increases in the risk of breast cancer of about 50-100%. The authors examined recent alcoholic beverage consumption in relation to the risk of breast cancer in a case-control study of women aged less than 70 years, conducted in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1982 to 1986: 607 breast cancer cases identified in a cancer hospital were compared with 1,214 controls matched to the cases on neighborhood and decade of age. The subjects were interviewed at home. Confounding factors were controlled by conditional logistic regression. The relative risk estimates for women who consumed alcohol, relative to women who drank less than one alcoholic beverage (drink) per month, were close to 1.0: for women who drank at least one alcoholic beverage per day, the multivariate estimate was 0.9 (95% confidence interval 0.6-1.2). Among subgroups of women, including those at low baseline risk, there was also no association. For a subset of cases compared with hospital controls, once again there was no association. The relative risk (RR) estimate was elevated for women who drank at least one beer daily (RR = 1.7) and reduced for women who drank at least one glass of wine daily (RR = 0.7), but neither estimate was statistically significant. The results suggest that recent alcohol consumption does not influence the risk of breast cancer. Selection bias cannot be ruled out, however. In addition, because determinants of alcohol use are not well understood, control of confounding may have been incomplete in the present study and in other observational studies of alcohol and breast cancer.     

Alcoholic beverage consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer. Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study Group

Previous studies have suggested that alcoholic beverage consumption may lead to a decrease in a woman's oestrogen levels. It is possible that any such alcohol-associated decrease could lead to a decrease in endometrial cancer risk. To study the association between alcohol consumption and endometrial cancer, we examined data from the Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a multi-centre, population based, case-control study. A total of 351 women with primary epithelial endometrial cancer and 2247 women selected from the same geographical areas as the cases were interviewed for the study. As part of the interview, the participants provided information regarding their alcohol consumption during the preceding five years. Analysis of these data revealed that women who were non-drinkers had a risk of endometrial cancer of 1.83 relative to the risk of women who had consumed an average of 150 grams or more of alcohol per week (95% Cl, 1.11, 3.01). Women who drank, but who consumed less than 150 grams of alcohol per week, were at an intermediate risk. The increased risk associated with abstinence from alcohol consumption was particularly great in overweight women and was virtually absent in lean women. These results argue that alcohol ingestion may reduce a woman's risk of endometrial cancer, particularly if she is overweight.     

Alcoholic calories, red wine consumption and breast cancer among premenopausal women

The role of alcohol consumption (alcoholic calories, alcoholic beverages) on breast cancer risk was investigated in a case-control study of 154 premenopausal female patients diagnosed with primary breast carcinoma. For each case, one control was matched for age (± 3 years) and socio-economic status. The survey was carried out in Northeastern France (Lorraine) between 1986 and 1989. While taking into account total caloric intakes and various breast cancer factors, breast cancer risk was shown to increase as consumption of alcohol increased (p value for trend = 0.007). A significant relative risk (RR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.40–5.17) was shown above 60 kcal per day (approximately 9 g of alcohol per day). Breast cancer risk appeared to be restricted to red wine consumption among these premenopausal women, for monthly consumption (p value for trend = 0.003) as well as for duration of consumption (p value for trend = 0.01). A relative risk of 3.96 (95% CI: 1.59–9.84) was found for a monthly consumption higher than 4 liters per month. This reinforces the notion of a particular sensitivity of young women to breast cancer in relation to alcohol consumption.     

Bladder cancer and alcoholic beverage consumption

A population-based case-control study of bladder cancer was conducted in 10 geographic areas in the United States. Risk of bladder cancer was not related to overall alcohol intake, nor to amounts of wine, beer, or spirits consumed. Alcohol also did not interact with known or suspected bladder carcinogens to increase risk, and no evidence was found that indirect mechanisms associated with alcohol ingestion the risk of bladder cancer.     

Fish consumption and breast cancer risk

The omega-3 fatty acids, especially long-chain eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n-3) contained in "fatty" fish, have consistently been shown to retard the growth of breast cancer in vitro and in animal experiments. In contrast, studies of the association between fish consumption and breast cancer risk in human populations have not consistently shown inverse associations. However, previous studies have not considered the specific types of fish consumed. Using data from a large, nationwide case-control study conducted in Sweden, we examined the association between consumption of fatty and lean fish and breast cancer risk. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were computed from unconditional logistic regression models. High consumption of fish was weakly associated with reduced breast cancer risk, and the association was not statistically significant. With multivariate adjustment, the OR for women with the highest consumption (> or =3.5 servings/wk) compared with women with the lowest (virtually none) was 0.88 (95% confidence interval = 0.60-1.29, P for trend = 0.15). When type of fish was examined separately, the association was similar for fatty and lean fish.     

Environmental tobacco smoke and breast cancer incidence

To evaluate whether environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) influences breast cancer incidence, data from a population-based case-control study were analyzed. Respondents with available ETS information assessed by in-person questionnaires included 1356 newly diagnosed cases and 1383 controls. Relative to nonsmokers who reported no residential ETS exposure throughout the life course, the odds ratios (OR) for breast cancer were not substantially elevated in relation to ETS exposure, active smoking, or a joint measure of active and passive smoking (OR, 1.15, 95% CI, 0.90, 1.48). An increased OR, however, was noted among nonsmokers who lived with a smoking spouse for over 27 years (2.10, 95% CI, 1.47, 3.02), although no dose-response was evident. Also, among women with hormone-receptor-positive tumors only, the OR for both active and passive smoking was increased (1.42 for ER+ PR+, 95% CI, 1.00, 2.00). Our data suggest that if there is an effect for ETS on breast cancer, that effect is restricted to selected subgroups of women, such as those with long-term exposure from a smoking spouse.     

Studies of breast cancer and alcohol consumption

Alcohol consumption as a potential risk factor for breast cancer was examined in a case-control study of 1,467 female breast cancer patients and 10,178 hospital controls. Lean females (Quetelet index less than 22) had elevated unadjusted odds ratios for breast cancer of 2.1, 1.7, and 1.4, associated with consuming less than 5, 5-15, and greater than 15 g of alcohol per day, respectively. However, this pattern is not consistent with a dose-response, and adjustment for a risk profile of confounding factors, including education and occupation (which are strong correlates of age at first pregnancy and parity), reduced these estimates to 1.4, 1.2, and 0.9; none of which differs significantly from 1.0. Among all subgroups, the odds ratios adjusted for pertinent confounders and interactions fluctuated randomly by about 0.9 and showed no consistent trend with increased alcohol consumption. In a second investigation, proportional breast cancer rates were estimated for female veterans diagnosed in Veterans Administration Hospitals during 1970-1982 using 1973-1977 rates for the general population as the standard of comparison. In the VA cohort of females, which had an approximate twofold higher prevalence of alcohol abuse and chronic cigarette smoking, the proportional rates of known alcohol and tobacco-related malignancies were significantly elevated but the rates of breast cancer were not. The standardized proportional morbidity rates of breast cancer for white, black, and all VA females were 0.92, 0.85, and 0.91, respectively. Although these results do not rule out weak associations between breast cancer and alcohol in certain subgroups, neither do they provide any compelling evidence that alcohol has a role in the genesis of this malignancy.     

Serum fatty acids and breast cancer incidence

Fatty acid composition of the diet may be essential to the development of breast cancer. We studied the ability of several fatty acids of serum total lipids to predict breast cancer incidence in a case-control study nested within a longitudinal population study. The proportions of fatty acids in serum total lipids were determined from stored serum samples collected at baseline for 127 incident breast cancer cases and 242 matched controls. Women with a higher proportion of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in serum had a reduced risk of breast cancer. The odds ratio (OR) between the highest and lowest tertiles of serum PUFA was 0.31 (95% confidence interval, CI = 0.12-0.77). This association was mainly due to n-6 PUFAs and especially to linoleic acid. The ORs were 0.35 (CI = 0.14-0.84) and 0.29 (CI = 0.12-0.73), respectively. Of the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), higher trans-11-18:1 levels were related to an increased breast cancer risk (OR = 3.69, CI = 1.35-10.06). The association was stronger in postmenopausal than in premenopausal women. The present study suggests that higher serum proportions of the n-6 PUFA linoleic acid and lower proportions of the MUFA trans-11-18:1 fatty acid predict a reduced incidence of breast cancer.     

Small-area incidence trends in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: During the past 2 decades, the observed incidence of in situ and early-stage invasive breast cancer has increased substantially as a result of increased use of mammography. Geographic variability in the increase in breast cancer incidence has been observed among large areas. Examining the variability among small areas in the incidence over time will facilitate appropriate geographic allocation of resources aimed at increasing screening. METHODS: We examined county-specific increases in breast cancer incidence over time, specifically the variability and spatial correlation in the increase in breast cancer incidence. The analyses were based on county-level data (1973-1997) from the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. A spatiotemporal hierarchical Bayesian model was used to examine variability in county-specific rates (intercepts, slopes, and spatial correlations) among white women at least 40 years of age. RESULTS: Posterior values indicate there was little variability among counties in the change in breast cancer incidence over time (slope) but substantial variation among intercepts. There was considerable spatial correlation among the county-specific intercepts but a lack of a spatial correlation among the county-specific slopes. There was no correlation between the county-specific intercept and slope. CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer incidence increased over time, but county-specific rates increased independently relative to their neighboring counties or their initial rate.     

Coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption and breast cancer incidence in a cohort of Swedish women.

PURPOSE: Coffee, caffeinated tea, and caffeine have been suggested to play a role in breast carcinogenesis or in the promotion or inhibition of tumor growth. Prior epidemiologic evidence has not supported an overall association between consumption of caffeinated beverages and risk of breast cancer, but consumption in some studies was low. METHODS: We studied this relation in the Swedish Mammography Screening Cohort, a large population-based prospective cohort study in Sweden comprising 59,036 women aged 40-76 years. Sweden has the highest coffee consumption per capita in the world. RESULTS: During 508,267 person-years of follow-up, 1271 cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed. Women who reported drinking 4 or more cups of coffee per day had a covariate-adjusted hazard ratio of breast cancer of 0.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75-1.28] compared to women who reported drinking 1 cup a week or less. The corresponding hazard ratio for tea consumption was 1.13 (95% CI 0.91-1.40). Similarly, women in the highest quintile of self-reported caffeine intake had a hazard ratio of beast cancer of 1.04 (95% CI 0.87-1.24) compared to women in the lowest quintile. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of Swedish women, consumption of coffee, tea, and caffeine was not associated with breast cancer incidence.     

Alcoholic beverage preference and risk of becoming a heavy drinker

BACKGROUND: Studies have suggested that wine drinkers are at lower risk of death than beer or spirits drinkers. The aim of this study is to examine whether the risk of becoming a heavy or excessive drinker differs among individuals who prefer different types of alcoholic beverages. METHODS: In a longitudinal study of 10,330 moderate drinkers from Copenhagen, Denmark, we used logistic regression analyses to address the risk of becoming a heavy or excessive drinker (above 14 and 21 drinks per week, respectively, for women and above 21 and 35 drinks per week for men) according to preference of wine, beer, or spirits. RESULTS: Compared with those who preferred wine, those who preferred beer tended to have increased risk of becoming heavy and excessive drinkers. Women who preferred beer had odds ratios of 1.14 (95% CI = 0.87-1.50) for becoming heavy drinkers and 1.50 (95% CI = 0.93-2.43) for becoming excessive drinkers. For men who preferred beer the ORs were 1.16 (95% CI = 0.84-1.58) and 1.81 (95% CI = 0.85-3.82). CONCLUSION: The finding that moderate wine drinkers appear to be at lower risk of becoming heavy and excessive drinkers may add to the explanation of the reported beverage-specific differences in morbidity and mortality.     

新疆哈萨克族食管癌高发区居民膳食状况及一碳单位代谢相关营养素水平调查

  目的   探讨中国人群进食快对食管癌发病的影响,为食管癌的预防提供科学依据。  方法   检索中国知网数据库、万方数据库、PubMed数据库和Web of Science数据库,并辅以手工检索和文献追溯法收集1980年1月 —2017年2月公开发表的有关进食快与食管癌关系的相关文献;应用Stata 11.0软件对纳入的文献进行meta分析。  结果   最终纳入26篇文献（中文文献22篇,英文文献4篇）,均为病例对照研究,累计病例组8 418例,对照组11 710例;Meta分析结果显示,中国人群进食快者食管癌的发病风险为非进食快者的2.518倍（OR = 2.518,95 % CI = 2.024～3.131）;亚组分析结果显示,在不同地区、不同对照来源、不同发表年份、不同文献来源中进食快者食管癌发病风险均高于非进食快者（均P < 0.01）;敏感性分析和发表偏倚检验结果显示,本次meta分析纳入的文献不存在发表偏倚,结果较为稳定。  结论   进食快会增加中国人群中食管癌的发病风险。     

Alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer

To examine the relation between alcohol consumption and breast cancer, the authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control's Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study, a multicenter population-based case-control study. Between August 1981 and December 1982, 3,498 US women aged 20-54 years with newly diagnosed breast cancer and 3,157 women aged 20-54 years selected at random from the same geographic areas were asked about their consumption of alcoholic beverages during the previous five years. Women who drank any alcohol had a risk of breast cancer of 1.0 (95% confidence interval 0.9-1.2) compared with nondrinkers. The risk of breast cancer did not increase appreciably with increasing alcohol consumption: Risk estimates for women consuming 8-14, 15-21, and 22 or more drinks per week were 1.1, 1.0, and 1.2, respectively. The authors also found no notable differences by type of beverage or within specific risk factor subgroups. These findings do not support the hypothesis that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer.     

肉类消耗与乳腺癌关系的Meta分析

目的 探讨肉类摄入与女性乳腺癌发病风险之间的联系,旨在为女性乳腺癌的病因预防提供依据.方法 检索2006年1月至2015年12月收录进PubMed、Elsevier、Springer数据库有关肉类摄入与乳腺癌发病风险之间联系的流行病学研究,提取效应参数进行统计分析.结果 共纳入前瞻性研究文献10篇,红肉高量摄入比低量摄入发生乳腺癌的危险性增加8％(RR=1.08,95％ CI:1.02～ 1.16),加工肉高量摄入比低量摄入高9％ (RR=1.09,95％ CI:1.02～1.17),绝经后红肉与加工肉摄入致乳腺癌发生的危险性分别增高9％和14％.结论 红肉和加工肉类的摄入与女性乳腺癌发病风险之间存在弱联系.     

Physical activity and incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer

Whether physical activity reduces the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer is uncertain; few studies have addressed this issue. We examined the association of leisure physical activity with breast cancer incidence among 37,105 postmenopausal participants in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Women reporting the highest level of physical activity at baseline compared with women with the lowest level of activity had an age-adjusted relative risk of breast cancer of 0.92 (95% confidence interval = 0.80-1.05). Women reporting any regular leisure-time physical activity had a relative risk of 0.97 (95% confidence interval = 0.87-1.08) compared with those reporting no such regular physical activity. Adjustment for potential confounders did not appreciably alter the findings. There is little evidence from this study that physical activity later in life is associated to any appreciable extent with breast cancer incidence.