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Family history and risk of breast cancer: nurses’ health study

  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Family history of cancer remains underused in general clinical practice. We assess age at diagnosis and the role of family history in risk of breast cancer. Prospective follow-up of nurses’ health study participants from 1980 to 2006. Updated assessment of family history in mother and sister including age at diagnosis. We used youngest age at diagnosis for family member when classifying risk. We confirmed 4327 incident invasive breast cancers confirmed. Breast cancer incidence models fitted to women with and without family history to assess variation in the risk for established risk factors. Compared to women with no family history those whose mother was diagnosed before age 50 had an adjusted relative risk of 1.69 (95% CI 1.39–2.05) and those with mother diagnosed at 50 or older had a relative risk of 1.37 (1.22–1.53). Sister history was associated with increased relative risk; 1.66 (1.38–1.99) for those with sister history before age 50 and 1.52 (1.29–1.77) for those with sister diagnosed at age 50 or older. Women with either mother or sister diagnosed before age 50 had a relative risk of 1.70 (1.48–1.95) significantly higher than those with diagnosis at age 50 or older (RR = 1.30; (1.27–1.54), P = 0.016). The magnitude of risk associated with established reproductive and lifestyle risk factors did not differ significantly between women with and those without family history with the exception of risk after bilateral oophorectomy in which setting women with family history had greater reduction in risk of subsequent breast cancer. Women with a family member diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 had increased risk of breast cancer compared to women with family members diagnosed at older ages. Consistent findings for risk factors regardless of family history adds to robust evidence for risk identification and risk stratification in clinical settings where prevention strategies will apply equally to women with and without family history.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health (PO1 CA87969). G.A.C. is also supported by the Cissy Hornung Clinical Research Professorship, 117489-CRP-03-194-07-CCE, from the American Cancer Society. This research is funded by the National Cancer Institute.

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No authors have any conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Susan E. Hankinson & Bernard Rosner

  2. Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University of St. Louis, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, Campus Box 8100, St. Louis, MO, 63110-1093, USA

    Graham A. Colditz & Kimberly A. Kaphingst

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

    Susan E. Hankinson

  4. Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Bernard Rosner

  5. Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Pubic Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    Susan E. Hankinson

Authors
  1. Graham A. Colditz
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  2. Kimberly A. Kaphingst
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  4. Bernard Rosner
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Correspondence to Graham A. Colditz.

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Colditz, G.A., Kaphingst, K.A., Hankinson, S.E. et al. Family history and risk of breast cancer: nurses’ health study. Breast Cancer Res Treat 133, 1097–1104 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-012-1985-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-012-1985-9

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