title: Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study.
abstract: The authors assessed the association between moderate alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study (United States, 1992-2004). During an average of 10 years of follow-up, 1,484 cases of total breast cancer (1,190 invasive and 294 in situ) were documented among 38,454 women who, at baseline, were free of cancer and cardiovascular disease and provided detailed dietary information, including alcohol consumption, for the preceding 12 months. Higher alcohol consumption was associated with a modest increase in breast cancer risk; the multivariable relative risks for > or =30 g/day of alcohol vs. none were 1.32 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96, 1.82) for total breast cancer and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.02, 2.02) for invasive breast cancer. An increased risk was limited to estrogen receptor (ER)- and progesterone receptor (PR)-positive tumors; the multivariable relative risks for an increment of 10 g/day of alcohol were 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.20) for ER+PR+ tumors (804 cases), 1.00 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.24) for ER+PR- tumors (125 cases), and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.20) for ER-PR- tumors (167 cases). The association also seemed strongest among those taking postmenopausal hormones currently, but the test for interaction was not significant. The findings from this prospective study suggest that moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 900 Commonwealth Avenue East, Boston, MA 02215, USA. shumin.zhang@channing.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Shumin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: I-Min
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: JoAnn E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Manson
authors.forename: Nancy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Buring
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003043:Cocarcinogenesis; D004034:Diet Surveys; D002149:Energy Intake; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017698:Postmenopause; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone