title: Height, age at menarche and risk of hormone receptor-positive and -negative breast cancer: a cohort study.
abstract: Associations of breast cancer overall with indicators of exposures during puberty are reasonably well characterized; however, uncertainty remains regarding the associations of height, leg length, sitting height and menarcheal age with hormone receptor-defined malignancies. Within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort, Cox proportional hazards models were used to describe the relationships of adult height, leg length and sitting height and age at menarche with risk of estrogen and progesterone receptor negative (ER-PR-) (n = 990) and ER+PR+ (n = 3,524) breast tumors. Height as a single risk factor was compared to a model combining leg length and sitting height. The possible interactions of height, leg length and sitting height with menarche were also analyzed. Risk of both ER-PR- and ER+PR+ malignancies was positively associated with standing height, leg length and sitting height and inversely associated with increasing age at menarche. For ER+PR+ disease, sitting height (hazard ratios: 1.14[95% confidence interval: 1.08-1.20]) had a stronger risk association than leg length (1.05[1.00-1.11]). In comparison, for ER-PR- disease, no distinct differences were observed between leg length and sitting height. Women who were tall and had an early menarche (≤13 years) showed an almost twofold increase in risk of ER+PR+ tumors but no such increase in risk was observed for ER-PR- disease. Indicators of exposures during rapid growth periods were associated with risks of both HR-defined breast cancers. Exposures during childhood promoting faster development may establish risk associations for both HR-positive and -negative malignancies. The stronger associations of the components of height with ER+PR+ tumors among older women suggest possible hormonal links that could be specific for postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rebecca
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authors.lastname: Ritte
authors.forename: Annekatrin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lukanova
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authors.lastname: Tjønneland
authors.forename: Anja
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authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Kim
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authors.lastname: Overvad
authors.forename: Sylvie
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authors.lastname: Mesrine
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authors.forename: Birgit
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authors.forename: Heiner
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authors.forename: Krasimira
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authors.lastname: Aleksandrova
authors.forename: Antonia
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authors.lastname: Trichopoulou
authors.forename: Pagona
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authors.forename: Dimitrios
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authors.lastname: Trichopoulos
authors.forename: Domenico
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authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grioni
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattiello
authors.forename: Rosario
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tumino
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacerdote
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Quirós
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buckland
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molina-Montes
authors.forename: María-Dolores
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Chirlaque
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ardanaz
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Amiano
authors.forename: Bas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bueno-de-Mesquita
authors.forename: Franzel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Duijnhoven
authors.forename: Carla H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: van Gils
authors.forename: Petra Hm
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Peeters
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wareham
authors.forename: Kay-Tee
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Khaw
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Key
authors.forename: Ruth C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Travis
authors.forename: Sanda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krum-Hansen
authors.forename: Inger Torhild
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Gram
authors.forename: Eiliv
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.forename: Malin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sund
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romieu
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: McCormack
authors.forename: Elio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Riboli
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaaks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008572:Menarche; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004967:Estrogens; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone