title: Long-term exposure to air pollution and mammographic density in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Growing evidence suggests that air pollution may be a risk factor for breast cancer, but the biological mechanism remains unknown. High mammographic density (MD) is one of the strongest predictors and biomarkers of breast cancer risk, but it has yet to be linked to air pollution. We investigated the association between long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and MD in a prospective cohort of women 50 years and older.
  
  
  METHODS
  For the 4,769 women (3,930 postmenopausal) participants in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health cohort (1993-1997) who attended mammographic screening in Copenhagen (1993-2001), we used MD assessed at the first screening after cohort entry. MD was defined as mixed/dense or fatty. Traffic-related air pollution at residence was assessed by modeled levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The association between mean NOx and NO2 levels since 1971 until cohort baseline (1993-97) and MD was analyzed using logistic regression, adjusting for confounders, and separately by menopause, smoking status, and obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found inverse, statistically borderline significant associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and having mixed/dense MD in our fully adjusted model (OR; 95% CI: 0.96; 0.93-1.01 per 20 μg/m(3) of NOx and 0.89; 0.80- 0.98 per 10 μg/m(3) of NO2). There was no interaction with menopause, smoking, or obesity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traffic-related air pollution exposure does not increase MD, indicating that if air pollution increases breast cancer risk, it is not via MD.
authors: Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. shuynh@smith.edu.|Department of Neuroscience, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA. shuynh@smith.edu.
authors: Stephanie
authors: S
authors: Huynh
authors: Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. myeu@sund.ku.dk.
authors: My
authors: M
authors: von Euler-Chelpin
authors: Danish Center for Cancer Research, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. ole@cancer.dk.
authors: Ole
authors: O
authors: Raaschou-Nielsen
authors: Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark. oh@envs.au.dk.
authors: Ole
authors: O
authors: Hertel
authors: Danish Center for Cancer Research, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark. annet@cancer.dk.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Tjønneland
authors: Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. elsebeth@sund.ku.dk.
authors: Elsebeth
authors: E
authors: Lynge
authors: Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. Ilse.Vejborg@regionh.dk.
authors: Ilse
authors: I
authors: Vejborg
authors: Center for Epidemiology and Screening, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. zorana.andersen@sund.ku.dk.
authors: Zorana J
authors: ZJ
authors: Andersen
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000071060:Breast Density; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D042361:Mammary Glands, Human / Q000002:abnormalities*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D001335:Vehicle Emissions