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Age, Breast Disease Not Always Predictors of Breast Cancer Risk: Presented at ASBD

By Arushi Sinha

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- April 17, 2007 -- Increasing age is commonly thought to be a major risk factor for developing breast cancer. But a study presented here at the 31^st Annual Symposium of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD) suggests there is little information on how risk factors influence breast cancer rates in women age 70 or older.

"There is not enough data or information out there for patients in this age group," said Jennifer Chun, MPH, research and high-risk program director, Women At Risk, department of surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States.

Chun and colleagues explored the link between age and other risk factors associated with breast cancer development, including atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH), atypical lobular hyperplasia (ALH), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), and family history of breast cancer.

The study examined data from 82 women age 70 or older who met one of the following criteria: one or more first-degree relatives with premenopausal breast cancer; at least 2 first-degree relatives with postmenopausal breast cancer; and/or history of LCIS, ADH or ALH. Analytical methods were used to compare the women in the study group to women without breast cancer with respect to: age at enrolment; presence of LCIS, ADH, ALH; family history of breast cancer; and comparison of 5-year Gail scores (which denotes estimates your 5-year and lifetime risk).

Of the 82 women in the sample, 20 had ADH (24%), 5 had ALH (6%), 27 had LCIS (33%), and 52 women had a family history of breast cancer (63%).

Six (73%) of the women developed breast cancer at the 4-year follow up, 2 initially presented with DCIS, and 4 were stage 1 at diagnosis. Additional analyses demonstrated that ADH, ALH, LCIS, and family history were not statistically significant predictors of developing breast cancer.

Based upon these findings, the researchers suggested that having these risk factors for breast cancer was not a strong predictor of breast cancer in this age group.

"Preliminary data shows that ADH, ALH, LCIS, and family history were not statistically significant for these women," said Chun.


[Presentation title: The Interaction of Increasing Age and Breast Cancer Risk Factors. Abstract F-17]

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