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Insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3, growth hormone, and mammographic density in the Nurses’ Health Studies

  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Higher circulating insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) levels have been associated with higher mammographic density among women in some, but not all studies. Also, few studies have examined the association between mammographic density and circulating growth hormone (GH) in premenopausal women. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 783 premenopausal women and 436 postmenopausal women who were controls in breast cancer case–control studies nested in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Participants provided blood samples in 1989–1990 (NHS) or in 1996–1999 (NHSII), and mammograms were obtained near the time of blood draw. Generalized linear models were used to assess the associations of IGF-1, IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), IGF-1:IGFBP-3 ratio, and GH with percent mammographic density, total dense area, and total non-dense area. Models were adjusted for potential confounders including age and body mass index (BMI), among others. We also assessed whether the associations varied by age or BMI. In both pre- and postmenopausal women, percent mammographic density was not associated with plasma levels of IGF-1, IGFBP-3, or the IGF-1:IGFBP-3 ratio. In addition, GH was not associated with percent density among premenopausal women in the NHSII. Similarly, total dense area and non-dense area were not significantly associated with any of these analytes. In postmenopausal women, IGF-1 was associated with higher percent mammographic density among women with BMI <25 kg/m2, but not among overweight/obese women. Overall, plasma IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and GH levels were not associated with mammographic density in a sample of premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

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Abbreviations

NHS:

Nurses’ Health Study

IGF-1:

Insulin-like growth factor-1

IGFBP-3:

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3

GH:

Growth hormone

BMI:

Body mass index

PMH:

Postmenopausal hormone

BBD:

Benign breast disease

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by research grants R01 CA124865, R01 CA050385, R01 CA067262, CA131332, CA089393, CA49449, CA138580, P01 CA87969, and T32 CA09001, from Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The authors would like to thank the participants of the NHS and NHSII for their continuing contributions. The authors also thank the following state cancer registries for their help: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WY.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Megan S. Rice, Shelley S. Tworoger, Bernard A. Rosner, Susan E. Hankinson & Rulla M. Tamimi

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Megan S. Rice, Shelley S. Tworoger, Susan E. Hankinson & Rulla M. Tamimi

  3. Department of Medicine and Oncology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Michael N. Pollak

  4. Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    Susan E. Hankinson

Authors
  1. Megan S. Rice
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  2. Shelley S. Tworoger
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  3. Bernard A. Rosner
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  4. Michael N. Pollak
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  5. Susan E. Hankinson
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  6. Rulla M. Tamimi
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Correspondence to Megan S. Rice.

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Rice, M.S., Tworoger, S.S., Rosner, B.A. et al. Insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3, growth hormone, and mammographic density in the Nurses’ Health Studies. Breast Cancer Res Treat 136, 805–812 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-012-2303-2

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