title: Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Does Not Correlate with Risk for Maternal Breast Cancer: Results from the Finnish Maternity Cohort.
abstract: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is necessary for the maintenance of early pregnancy and promotes normal breast cell differentiation. Administered hCG reduces risk of carcinogen-induced breast cancer in animal models, and higher circulating hCG concentrations were associated with significantly lower long-term risk of breast cancer in a prior nested case-control study. In this study, we investigated early-pregnancy hCG concentrations and subsequent breast cancer risk. We conducted a nested case-control study with 1,191 cases and 2,257 controls (matched on age and date at blood collection) in the Finnish Maternity Cohort, a cohort with serum samples from 98% of pregnancies registered in Finland since 1983. This study included women with a serum sample collected early (<140 days gestation) in their first pregnancy resulting in a live, term birth. Breast cancer cases were identified via the Finnish Cancer Registry. Age at breast cancer diagnosis ranged from 22 to 58 years (mean: 41 years). hCG was measured using a solid-phase competitive chemiluminescence assay. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. We observed no association between hCG and breast cancer risk, overall [Quartile 4 vs. 1, OR, 1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94-1.39], by estrogen and progesterone receptor status, or by ages at first-term birth or diagnosis. Associations did not differ by time between pregnancy and diagnosis (e.g., <5 years, ORQ4 vs. Q1, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.64-1.89; ≥15 years, ORQ4 vs. Q1, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.86-2.13; pheterogeneity= 0.62). This large prospective study does not support an inverse relationship between early pregnancy serum hCG concentrations and breast cancer risk. Cancer Res; 77(1); 134-41. ©2016 AACR.
authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. r.fortner@dkfz.de.
authors: Renée T
authors: RT
authors: Fortner
authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Helena
authors: H
authors: Schock
authors: Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Rudolf
authors: R
authors: Kaaks
authors: School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
authors: Matti
authors: M
authors: Lehtinen
authors: School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.|Finnish Cancer Registry, Institute for Statistical and Epidemiological Cancer Research, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: Eero
authors: E
authors: Pukkala
authors: Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Hans-Åke
authors: HÅ
authors: Lakso
authors: Department of Oncology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
authors: Minna
authors: M
authors: Tanner
authors: Department of Oncology, Oulu University Hospital, Finland.
authors: Raija
authors: R
authors: Kallio
authors: Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors: Heikki
authors: H
authors: Joensuu
authors: Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors: Jaana
authors: J
authors: Korpela
authors: Department of Surgery, Division of Public Health Sciences, and Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.
authors: Adetunji T
authors: AT
authors: Toriola
authors: Public Health and Clinical Medicine: Nutritional Research, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Göran
authors: G
authors: Hallmans
authors: Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Kjell
authors: K
authors: Grankvist
authors: New York University Cancer Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Zeleniuch-Jacquotte
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Toniolo
authors: Department of Medical Biosciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Lundin
authors: Department of Health Protection, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland.
authors: Heljä-Marja
authors: HM
authors: Surcel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin