title: Insulin-like growth factor-I, its binding proteins (IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3), and growth hormone and breast cancer risk in The Nurses Health Study II.
abstract: Earlier data suggest that the relationship between circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) levels and breast cancer risk differs according to menopausal status. We evaluated the association between IGF levels as well as the primary regulator of IGF-I production, growth hormone (GH), and breast cancer risk in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II) cohort, a large cohort of primarily premenopausal women. We conducted a case-control study nested within the prospective NHS II cohort. Plasma concentrations of IGF-I, IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3, IGFBP-1, and GH were measured in blood samples collected between 1996 and 1999. Totally 317 women were identified who had a diagnosis of invasive or in situ breast cancer between the date of blood collection and June 1 2003; 75% of these women were premenopausal at blood collection. To each of the 317 women, two controls were age-matched for a total of 634 controls. We used conditional logistic regression models to estimate the relative risk of breast cancer. Overall, plasma IGF-I, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3, and GH levels were not associated with breast cancer risk (relative risks, top vs bottom quartile; IGF-I, 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.69-1.39; IGFBP-1, 0.95, 95% CI, 0.63-1.41; IGFBP-3, 1.10, 95% CI, 0.78-1.54; GH, 1.09, 95% CI, 0.82-1.46). These risks were similar for premenopausal women of age 45 years or less. Further adjustment for additional breast cancer risk factors did not change these estimates. In conclusion, circulating IGF-I, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-3, and GH levels appear to have no important association with breast cancer risk in a large cohort of premenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. eva.schernhammer@channing.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Eva S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Schernhammer
authors.forename: Jeff M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Holly
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hankinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 / Q000097:blood*; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone