title: Perinatal characteristics and breast cancer risk in daughters: a Scandinavian population-based study.
abstract: The in utero origins of breast cancer are an increasing focus of research. However, the long time period between exposure and disease diagnosis, and the lack of standardized perinatal data collection makes this research challenging. We assessed perinatal factors, as proxies for in utero exposures, and breast cancer risk using pooled, population-based birth and cancer registry data. Birth registries provided information on perinatal exposures. Cases were females born in Norway, Sweden or Denmark who were subsequently diagnosed with primary, invasive breast cancer (n = 1419). Ten controls for each case were selected from the birth registries matched on country and birth year (n = 14,190). Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using unconditional regression models. Breast cancer risk rose 7% (95% CI 2-13%) with every 500 g (roughly 1 s.d.) increase in birth weight and 7% for every 1 s.d. increase in birth length (95% CI 1-14%). The association with birth length was attenuated after adjustment for birth weight, while the increase in risk with birth weight remained with adjustment for birth length. Ponderal index and small- and large-for-gestational-age status were not better predictors of risk than either weight or length alone. Risk was not associated with maternal education or age, gestational duration, delivery type or birth order, or with several pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia. These data confirm the positive association between birth weight and breast cancer risk. Other pregnancy characteristics, including complications such as preeclampsia, do not appear to be involved in later breast carcinogenesis in young women.
authors.affiliation: 1 Divisions of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Troisi
authors.affiliation: 2 Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grotmol
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.affiliation: 2 Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of Population-Based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tretli
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Information, THL National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gissler
authors.affiliation: 6 Turku University, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaaja
authors.affiliation: 7 Divisions of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Potischman
authors.affiliation: 8 Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekbom
authors.affiliation: 1 Divisions of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Hoover
authors.affiliation: 8 Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Stephansson
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height / Q000502:physiology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / Q000453:epidemiology
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