Breastfeeding and prognostic markers in breast cancer.
BACKGROUND
Several studies suggest that total breastfeeding time reduces breast cancer risk. The underlying mechanisms are unclear. Whether breastfeeding also affects the prognosis is not yet investigated. A number of tumour characteristics, i.e. histological type of cancer, grade, tumour size, Nottingham prognostic index, vascular invasion and DNA-ploidy, have been demonstrated to be of prognostic value.


METHODS
We have searched for a possible link between these prognostic markers and breastfeeding time, age at first child and number of children. 250 women treated for breast cancer have answered a questionnaire.


RESULTS
No significant interactions were found possibly with one exception, LVI vs. age at first child. We found, significant correlations between lobular cancer, and thereby also DNA-ploidy, and age at first childbirth.


CONCLUSIONS
We have found that lobular cancer (and thereby also diploid tumours) are connected, independently, to age at first childbirth and possibly also to number of children but no other correlations between reproductive data, breastfeeding included, and prognostic markers used in this study were found.
Lööf-Johanson
Margaretha
M
Dep. Medical and Health Sciences, University of Linköping, Sweden. margalj@ltkalmar.se
Brudin
Lars
L
Sundquist
Marie
M
Thorstenson
Sten
S
Rudebeck
Carl Edvard
CE
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001942:Breast Feeding; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010298:Parity; D011379:Prognosis; D015983:Selection Bias; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors