title: A prospective study of endogenous serum hormone concentrations and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women on the island of Guernsey.
abstract: The associations between serum concentrations of oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women were investigated in a prospective study of breast cancer on the island of Guernsey. Sixty-two women diagnosed with breast cancer an average of 8 years subsequent to blood collection were matched for day of menstrual cycle, age and year of blood collection with 182 control subjects. Cases had a 12% higher mean oestradiol concentration over the whole menstrual cycle (P = 0.17) with a large difference at mid-cycle (75% higher, P = 0.04). Differences between cases and control subjects in progesterone (luteal phase), testosterone and SHBG were small and not statistically significant: luteal phase progesterone 9% lower in cases, P = 0.64; testosterone 4% higher, P = 0.57; SHBG 8% higher, P = 0.24. The small difference in oestradiol concentration could be aetiologically important, but larger prospective studies are needed.
authors.affiliation: Imperial Cancer Research Fund Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Key
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dowsett
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Fentiman
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D019435:Guernsey; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol