title: Sunlight exposure and breast density: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to assess the association of sunlight exposure with breast cancer risk, measured by the breast density assessed from Tabár's mammographic pattern in Chinese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 676 premenopausal women were recruited to participate in this study, in which 650 completed a validated sunlight exposure questionnaire via telephone. The mammograms were classified according to Tabár's classification for parenchyma, and patterns IV & V and I, II & III indicated respectively high and low risk mammographic patterns for breast cancer. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sun exposure-related variables were estimated using unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for potential confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 646 participants, women with high breast cancer risk (Tabár's patterns IV &V) had less hours spent in the sun than those with low risk (I, II & III) at any age stage. A higher level of sunlight exposure was associated with a significantly lower risk having high risk Tabár's pattern. Women aged 40 to 44 years who were in the highest tertile of lifetime total hours spent in the sun had a multi-adjusted OR of 0.41 (95% CI, 0.18-0.92; p for trend=0.03) compared with those in the lowest tertile (>2.19 hr/day vs. <1.32 hr/day). For hours spent in the sun across the ages of 6 to 12 years, the comparable OR was 0.37 (95% CI, 0.15-0.91; p for trend=0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that higher sunlight exposure is related to a lower risk of having high risk breast density pattern in premenopausal women. Our results also suggest the most relevant period of exposure is during earlier life.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. ; Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Institute of Medicine and public Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, USA.
authors.forename: Sheng-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Edwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: Tsz-Ping
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Py
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ku
keywords: Breast neoplasms; Mammographic density; Sunlight; Vitamin D