Alcohol consumption: The single most important behavioral risk factor in breast cancer?

Authors

null

T. Lautenschlaeger

Department of Radiation Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

T. Lautenschlaeger , V. Dedousi-Huebner , A. Chakravarti

Organizations

Department of Radiation Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, The Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH

Research Funding

No funding sources reported

Background: Breast cancer research has identified certain risk factors over the years, which influence a woman's chance of getting the disease. While factors such as personal history of breast abnormalities, age and the occurrence of breast cancer among first-degree relatives have been identified as estimation factors for breast cancer risk, other factors are less conclusive. Increasingly, obesity is being analyzed as a significant risk factor for many cancers and, after tobacco use, may be one of the most modifiable behavioral cancer risk factors. Interestingly when comparing the incidence rate of breast cancer to the obesity rate nationwide many states show a disparity in the two. It may be that other behavioral risk factors are of greater importance. Methods: The US States Mississippi and West Virginia display the highest rates of obesity (over 29.4% of their population display a BMI over 30.0) and the lowest rates in breast cancer incidence nationwide (under 113.9 and 113.5 people per 100.00. residents are diagnosed with cancer each year respectively). We set out to look at various behavioral risk factors to possibly detect an underlying pattern for breast cancer. Using selected metropolitan/micropolitan area risk trend data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from the CDC, we compared median percentages of the following risk factors: health status, exercise, diabetes, flu vaccination, current smoking, binge drinking and obesity. Results: Both states displayed higher percentages in all risk factors compared to the national average except for one in which they were below the national average: binge drinking. Rhode Island and Connecticut, the two states with the highest incidence rates in breast cancer, in turn displayed slightly higher rates of binge drinking compared to the national average. Conclusions: It appears that binge drinking might weigh more than other behavioral factors in terms of risk associated to breast cancer. Future research will need to analyze the interplay and patterns of the various risk factors as well as evaluate the association of mammographic density and alcohol drinking to further investigate the role of alcohol and binge drinking in the development of breast cancer.

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2011 Breast Cancer Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

General Poster Session C

Track

Prevention, Survivorship & Health Policy

Sub Track

Epidemiology

Citation

J Clin Oncol 29, 2011 (suppl 27; abstr 176)

Abstract #

176

Poster Bd #

B11

Abstract Disclosures

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