Association between mammographic density and basal-like and luminal A breast cancer subtypes

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Creator
  • Razzaghi, Hilda
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
    • Other Affiliation: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30345, USA
  • Troester, Melissa
    • Affiliation: N.C. Cancer Hospital, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
  • Gierach, Gretchen L
    • Other Affiliation: Hormonal and Reproductive Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
  • Olshan, Andrew
    • Affiliation: N.C. Cancer Hospital, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
  • Yankaskas, Bonnie C
    • Affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Radiology
  • Millikan, Robert C.
    • Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
Abstract
  • Abstract: Introduction: Mammographic density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer overall, but few studies have examined the association between mammographic density and specific subtypes of breast cancer, especially aggressive basal-like breast cancers. Because basal-like breast cancers are less frequently screen-detected, it is important to understand how mammographic density relates to risk of basal-like breast cancer. Methods: We estimated associations between mammographic density and breast cancer risk according to breast cancer subtype. Cases and controls were participants in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study (CBCS) who also had mammograms recorded in the Carolina Mammography Registry (CMR). A total of 491 cases had mammograms within five years prior to and one year after diagnosis and 528 controls had screening or diagnostic mammograms close to the dates of selection into CBCS. Mammographic density was reported to the CMR using Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System categories. The expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 1 and 2 (HER1 and HER2), and cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) were assessed by immunohistochemistry and dichotomized as positive or negative, with ER+ and/or PR+, and HER2- tumors classified as luminal A and ER-, PR-, HER2-, HER1+ and/or CK5/6+ tumors classified as basal-like breast cancer. Triple negative tumors were defined as negative for ER, PR and HER2. Of the 491 cases 175 were missing information on subtypes; the remaining cases included 181 luminal A, 17 luminal B, 48 basal-like, 29 ER-/PR-/HER2+, and 41 unclassified subtypes. Odds ratios comparing each subtype to all controls and case-case odds ratios comparing mammographic density distributions in basal-like to luminal A breast cancers were estimated using logistic regression. Results: Mammographic density was associated with increased risk of both luminal A and basal-like breast cancers, although estimates were imprecise. The magnitude of the odds ratio associated with mammographic density was not substantially different between basal-like and luminal A cancers in case–control analyses and case-case analyses (case-case OR = 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 0.30, 3.84)). Conclusions: These results suggest that risk estimates associated with mammographic density are not distinct for separate breast cancer subtypes (basal-like/triple negative vs. luminal A breast cancers). Studies with a larger number of basal-like breast cancers are needed to confirm our findings.
Date of publication
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
Rights holder
  • Hilda Razzaghi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
License
Journal title
  • Breast Cancer Research
Journal volume
  • 15
Journal issue
  • 5
Page start
  • R76
Language
  • English
Is the article or chapter peer-reviewed?
  • Yes
ISSN
  • 1465-5411
Bibliographic citation
  • Breast Cancer Research. 2013 Sep 04;15(5):R76
Publisher
  • BioMed Central Ltd
Access right
  • Open Access
Date uploaded
  • January 20, 2017

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details 13058_2013_article_3267.pdf 2019-05-06 Public Download