title: Alcohol intake and cigarette smoking and risk of a contralateral breast cancer: The Women's Environmental Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Study.
abstract: Women with primary breast cancer are at increased risk of developing second primary breast cancer. Few studies have evaluated risk factors for the development of asynchronous contralateral breast cancer in women with breast cancer. In the Women's Environmental Cancer and Radiation Epidemiology Study (1985-2001), the roles of alcohol and smoking were examined in 708 women with asynchronous contralateral breast cancer (cases) compared with 1,399 women with unilateral breast cancer (controls). Cases and controls aged less than 55 years at first breast cancer diagnosis were identified from 5 population-based cancer registries in the United States and Denmark. Controls were matched to cases on birth year, diagnosis year, registry region, and race and countermatched on radiation treatment. Risk factor information was collected by telephone interview. Rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated by using conditional logistic regression. Ever regular drinking was associated with an increased risk of asynchronous contralateral breast cancer (rate ratio = 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.0, 1.6), and the risk increased with increasing duration (P = 0.03). Smoking was not related to asynchronous contralateral breast cancer. In this, the largest study of asynchronous contralateral breast cancer to date, alcohol is a risk factor for the disease, as it is for a first primary breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada. knight@lunenfeld.ca
authors.forename: Julia A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernstein
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Largent
authors.forename: Marinela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capanu
authors.forename: Colin B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Begg
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mellemkjaer
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Kathleen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Malone
authors.forename: Anne S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Reiner
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Haile
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Boice
authors.forename: Jonine L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bernstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology