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Circulating lipids, mammographic density, and risk of breast cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II

Lucht, Sarah A. ; Eliassen, A. Heather ; Bertrand, Kimberly A. ; Ahern, Thomas P. ; Borgquist, Signe LU ; Rosner, Bernard ; Hankinson, Susan E. and Tamimi, Rulla M. (2019) In Cancer Causes and Control 30(9). p.943-953
Abstract

Purpose: Epidemiologic evidence supports an association between high mammographic density and increased breast cancer risk yet etiologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Mixed evidence exists as to whether circulating lipid levels influence mammographic density and breast cancer risk. Therefore, we examined these associations in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII), two large prospective cohorts with information on PMD and circulating lipid measures, long follow-up, and breast cancer risk factor and outcome data. Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study among women in the NHS and NHSII. Percent mammographic density (PMD) was measured using Cumulus software, a computer-assisted method, on... (More)

Purpose: Epidemiologic evidence supports an association between high mammographic density and increased breast cancer risk yet etiologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Mixed evidence exists as to whether circulating lipid levels influence mammographic density and breast cancer risk. Therefore, we examined these associations in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII), two large prospective cohorts with information on PMD and circulating lipid measures, long follow-up, and breast cancer risk factor and outcome data. Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study among women in the NHS and NHSII. Percent mammographic density (PMD) was measured using Cumulus software, a computer-assisted method, on digitized film mammograms. Cross-sectional associations between circulating lipids [total cholesterol (n = 1,502), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C; n = 579), and triglycerides (n = 655)] and PMD were evaluated among controls. All analyses were stratified by menopausal status at time of mammogram. Relative risks for breast cancer by lipid and PMD measures were estimated among postmenopausal women in the full nested case–control study (cases/controls for cholesterol, HDL-C, and triglycerides were 937/975, 416/449, and 506/537, respectively). Results: There were no significant associations between circulating lipid levels and PMD among healthy women, irrespective of menopausal status. The association between PMD and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women was not modified by circulating lipid levels (p interaction = 0.83, 0.80, and 0.34 for total cholesterol, HDL-C, and triglycerides, respectively). Conclusion: Overall, no association was observed between lipid levels and PMD, and there was no evidence that lipid levels modified the association between PMD and breast cancer risk.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Breast density, Breast neoplasms, Cholesterol, Lipids, Mammography
in
Cancer Causes and Control
volume
30
issue
9
pages
943 - 953
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85068789729
  • pmid:31264139
ISSN
0957-5243
DOI
10.1007/s10552-019-01201-2
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ac8ee3fe-2b5b-44f7-8551-b733a7984dd7
date added to LUP
2019-07-25 08:50:38
date last changed
2024-04-16 16:59:58
@article{ac8ee3fe-2b5b-44f7-8551-b733a7984dd7,
  abstract     = {{<p>Purpose: Epidemiologic evidence supports an association between high mammographic density and increased breast cancer risk yet etiologic mechanisms remain largely unknown. Mixed evidence exists as to whether circulating lipid levels influence mammographic density and breast cancer risk. Therefore, we examined these associations in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII), two large prospective cohorts with information on PMD and circulating lipid measures, long follow-up, and breast cancer risk factor and outcome data. Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study among women in the NHS and NHSII. Percent mammographic density (PMD) was measured using Cumulus software, a computer-assisted method, on digitized film mammograms. Cross-sectional associations between circulating lipids [total cholesterol (n = 1,502), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C; n = 579), and triglycerides (n = 655)] and PMD were evaluated among controls. All analyses were stratified by menopausal status at time of mammogram. Relative risks for breast cancer by lipid and PMD measures were estimated among postmenopausal women in the full nested case–control study (cases/controls for cholesterol, HDL-C, and triglycerides were 937/975, 416/449, and 506/537, respectively). Results: There were no significant associations between circulating lipid levels and PMD among healthy women, irrespective of menopausal status. The association between PMD and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women was not modified by circulating lipid levels (p interaction = 0.83, 0.80, and 0.34 for total cholesterol, HDL-C, and triglycerides, respectively). Conclusion: Overall, no association was observed between lipid levels and PMD, and there was no evidence that lipid levels modified the association between PMD and breast cancer risk.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lucht, Sarah A. and Eliassen, A. Heather and Bertrand, Kimberly A. and Ahern, Thomas P. and Borgquist, Signe and Rosner, Bernard and Hankinson, Susan E. and Tamimi, Rulla M.}},
  issn         = {{0957-5243}},
  keywords     = {{Breast density; Breast neoplasms; Cholesterol; Lipids; Mammography}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{9}},
  pages        = {{943--953}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Cancer Causes and Control}},
  title        = {{Circulating lipids, mammographic density, and risk of breast cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10552-019-01201-2}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10552-019-01201-2}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}