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The relation between stressful life events and breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies

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Abstract

Purpose

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women with high rate of mortality. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relation between stressful life events and breast cancer.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google scholar databases from their inception until June 2018. The keywords and phrases we used in the search were (life events AND stress AND breast cancer OR neoplasm) to identify potentially relevant cohort studies that reported relative risk estimates and confidence intervals of this association. Pooled Risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using random effects model.

Results

Out of 168 potentially relevant publications, 11 documents met the inclusion criteria. The results showed that history of stressful life events slightly increases the risk of breast cancer [pooled Risk Ratio: 1.11 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.19)].

Conclusions

History of stressful life events could be associated with a moderate increase in the risk of breast cancer. We advise that receiving psychological and counseling services after occurrence of stressful life events of women should be taken seriously.

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Acknowledgements

We specially thank all researchers and scientists that have developed their research projects in breast cancer since the past decades and have provided us a treasure of valuable knowledge in this field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Social Development and Health Promotion Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

    Narjes Bahri

  2. Department of Midwifery, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

    Tahereh Fathi Najafi

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Fatemeh Homaei Shandiz

  4. HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

    Hamid Reza Tohidinik

  5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hamid Reza Tohidinik

  6. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

    Abdoljavad Khajavi

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  1. Narjes Bahri
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  3. Fatemeh Homaei Shandiz
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Correspondence to Hamid Reza Tohidinik.

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Bahri, N., Fathi Najafi, T., Homaei Shandiz, F. et al. The relation between stressful life events and breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. Breast Cancer Res Treat 176, 53–61 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-019-05231-x

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