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Mammographic density and breast cancer risk by family history in women of white and Asian ancestry

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Abstract

Purpose

Mammographic density, i.e., the radiographic appearance of the breast, is a strong predictor of breast cancer risk. To determine whether the association of breast density with breast cancer is modified by a first-degree family history of breast cancer (FHBC) in women of white and Asian ancestry, we analyzed data from four case–control studies conducted in the USA and Japan.

Methods

The study population included 1,699 breast cancer cases and 2,422 controls, of whom 45 % reported white (N = 1,849) and 40 % Asian (N = 1,633) ancestry. To standardize mammographic density assessment, a single observer re-read all mammograms using one type of interactive thresholding software. Logistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratios (OR) while adjusting for confounders.

Results

Overall, 496 (12 %) of participants reported a FHBC, which was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in the adjusted model (OR 1.51; 95 % CI 1.23–1.84). There was a statistically significant interaction on a multiplicative scale between FHBC and continuous percent density (per 10 % density: p = 0.03). The OR per 10 % increase in percent density was higher among women with a FHBC (OR 1.30; 95 % CI 1.13–1.49) than among those without a FHBC (OR 1.14; 1.09–1.20). This pattern was apparent in whites and Asians. The respective ORs were 1.45 (95 % CI 1.17–1.80) versus 1.22 (95 % CI 1.14–1.32) in whites, whereas the values in Asians were only 1.24 (95 % CI 0.97–1.58) versus 1.09 (95 % CI 1.00–1.19).

Conclusions

These findings support the hypothesis that women with a FHBC appear to have a higher risk of breast cancer associated with percent mammographic density than women without a FHBC.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence interval

FHBC:

Family history of breast cancer

HT:

Hormone therapy

OR:

Odds ratio

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute, US Department of Health and Human Services, Grant no. R03 CA 135699. CGW and SMC were supported during the work on this Project by postdoctoral fellowships on grant R25 CA 90956.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hawaii Cancer Center, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA

    Gertraud Maskarinec & Kaylae L. Nakamura

  2. Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, 5980 University Avenue, P.O. Box 9700, Halifax, NS, B3K 6R8, Canada

    Christy G. Woolcott

  3. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California Davis School of Medicine, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Shannon M. Conroy

  4. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Rd, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Celia Byrne

  5. Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu-shi, Gifu-ken, 501-1112, Japan

    Chisato Nagata

  6. Cancer Registry of Norway, Fridtjof Nansens vei 19, Majorstuen, Oslo, Norway

    Giske Ursin

  7. Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Celine M. Vachon

Authors
  1. Gertraud Maskarinec
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  2. Kaylae L. Nakamura
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  3. Christy G. Woolcott
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  4. Shannon M. Conroy
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  5. Celia Byrne
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  6. Chisato Nagata
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  7. Giske Ursin
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  8. Celine M. Vachon
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Correspondence to Gertraud Maskarinec.

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Maskarinec, G., Nakamura, K.L., Woolcott, C.G. et al. Mammographic density and breast cancer risk by family history in women of white and Asian ancestry. Cancer Causes Control 26, 621–626 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0551-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-015-0551-2

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