Family history of breast cancer as a predictor for fatal prostate cancer.
To examine the relation between family history of breast cancer in a mother or sister and a man's risk of fatal prostate cancer, we analyzed data from a prospective mortality study of adult men in the United States. During 12 years of follow-up, there were 3,141 deaths from prostate cancer in a cohort of 480,802 men who were cancer-free at study entry in 1982. Results from Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for other risk factors, showed a modest increased risk of fatal prostate cancer associated with a family history of breast cancer (in the absence of a family history of prostate cancer) [rate ratio (RR) = 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.01-1.33]. The association was stronger among men younger than 65 years of age whose relatives were diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 years (RR = 1.65; 95% CI = 0.88-3.10) and among Jewish men (RR = 1.73; 95% CI = 1.00-2.97). The increased risks observed in these subgroups may reflect genetic alterations underlying familial clustering of prostate and breast cancer.
Rodríguez
C
C
American Cancer Society, Epidemiology and Surveillance Research, Atlanta, GA 30329-4251, USA.
Calle
E E
EE
Tatham
L M
LM
Wingo
P A
PA
Miracle-McMahill
H L
HL
Thun
M J
MJ
Heath
C W
CW
D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010375:Pedigree; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology