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Migraine and subsequent risk of breast cancer: a prospective cohort study

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous studies have suggested that migraineurs are at decreased risk for developing breast cancer. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these results. In addition, studies evaluating migraine characteristics (e.g., migraine subtypes and frequency) are lacking.

Methods

We conducted a prospective cohort study among 39,696 participants in the Women’s Health Study who were 45 years and older at study entry. Information on migraine was self-reported with good validation rates. Incident breast cancer cases were confirmed by medical record review. We distinguished the following major endpoints: any breast cancer, a combined endpoint of invasive and in situ cases, in situ breast cancer only, and invasive breast cancer only. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate age- and multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI).

Results

A total of 7,318 (18.4 %) women reported any migraine. During a mean follow-up time of 13.6 years, 432 in situ and 1,846 invasive breast cancer cases occurred. Migraine was not associated with breast cancer risk. The multivariable-adjusted HRs (95 % CI) were 1.10 (0.99–1.22) for any breast cancer, 1.06 (0.83–1.35) for in situ breast cancer, and 1.11 (0.99–1.25) for invasive breast cancer. The risk for developing breast cancer differed according to hormone receptor status with a suggestion of increased risks for hormone receptor negative tumors (HR ER−/PR− : 1.28, 95 % CI: 0.96–1.71). We did not observe meaningful differences with regard to histologic subtype or according to migraine aura status or migraine attack frequency.

Conclusions

Results of our study do not support the hypothesis that migraineurs have a decreased risk for breast cancer.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the participants in the Women’s Health Study for their outstanding commitment and cooperation, to the entire Women’s Health Study staff for their expert and unfailing assistance. This study was supported in part by a research fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG) to Dr. Winter. The Women’s Health Study is supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL-043851 and HL-080467) and the National Cancer Institute (CA-47988). The sponsors of the study played no role in design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

We report a full disclosure for the last 2 years for each author: Dr. Winter has received an international postdoctoral research fellowship of the American Association of University Women and a research fellowship of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Dr. Rexrode has received investigator-initiated research funding from the National Institutes of Health. She has also received honoria from Pfizer pharmaceuticals for contributing to a scientific advisory panel. Dr. Lee has received investigator-initiated research funding and support from the National Institutes of Health. She has served as a consultant to, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of, Virgin HealthMiles. Dr. Buring has received investigator-initiated research funding and support from the National Institutes of Health and Dow Corning Corporation; research support for pills and/or packaging from Bayer Health Care and the Natural Source Vitamin E Association. Dr. Tamimi has received investigator-initiated research funding from the National Institutes of Health. She has also received honoria from Pfizer pharmaceuticals for contributing to a scientific advisory panel. Dr. Kurth has received investigator-initiated research funding from the French National Research Agency, the US National Institutes of Health, the Migraine Research Foundation, and the Parkinson’s disease Foundation. He has received honoraria from Allergan, the American Academy of Neurology and Merck for educational lectures, from MAP Pharmaceutical for contributing to a scientific advisory panel, and from the British Medical Journal for editorial services.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 900 Commonwealth Avenue East, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Anke C. Winter, Kathryn M. Rexrode, I-Min Lee, Julie E. Buring & Tobias Kurth

  2. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Rulla M. Tamimi

  3. INSERM Unit 708—Neuroepidemiology, 146 rue Léo Saignat, Case 11, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Tobias Kurth

  4. University of Bordeaux, 146 rue Léo Saignat, Case 11, 33076, Bordeaux, France

    Tobias Kurth

Authors
  1. Anke C. Winter
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  2. Kathryn M. Rexrode
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  3. I-Min Lee
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  4. Julie E. Buring
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  5. Rulla M. Tamimi
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  6. Tobias Kurth
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anke C. Winter.

Additional information

Rulla M. Tamimi and Tobias Kurth contributed equally.

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Winter, A.C., Rexrode, K.M., Lee, IM. et al. Migraine and subsequent risk of breast cancer: a prospective cohort study. Cancer Causes Control 24, 81–89 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0092-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-0092-x

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