title: Pre-diagnostic alcohol consumption and breast cancer recurrence and mortality: results from a prospective cohort with a wide range of variation in alcohol intake.
abstract: The association between pre-diagnostic alcohol consumption and breast cancer recurrence and breast cancer specific mortality was investigated in 1,052 women diagnosed with early breast cancer in a prospective cohort of 29,875 women. Known clinical, lifestyle and socioeconomic risk factors were evaluated and adjusted for in multivariate analysis. We found a modest but significant association between pre-diagnostic alcohol consumption and breast cancer recurrence with a median follow-up of six years after date of diagnosis, both when using baseline measures of alcohol intake (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.02-2.67; >2 units/day vs. ≤1 unit/day) and cumulated alcohol intake (HR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.06-3.85; >40 drinking years vs. 0<drinking years≤10). Results for breast cancer specific mortality were also suggestive of a higher risk but were not statistically significant. In addition to being a risk factor for breast cancer, a high pre-diagnostic alcohol intake also seems to have an effect on the course of the disease. We could not relate the finding to a specific tumor presentation.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Diet, Genes, and Environment, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark. marhol@cancer.dk
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Niels T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Kroman
authors.forename: Pernille E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bidstrup
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Overvad
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tjønneland
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors