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Trends of breast cancer incidence and risk factor prevalence over 25 years

  • Epidemiology
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Introduction

To examine the trends in the prevalence of breast cancer risk factors in relation to breast cancer incidence trends and to explore whether the changes in risk factors differed by ethnicity in Hawaii over a 25-year period.

Methods

We pooled 17 population-based epidemiological studies conducted in Hawaii between 1975 and 2001. The study population of 82,295 women included subjects of Caucasian, Japanese, Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Filipino ancestry. We computed age-adjusted prevalence estimates by ethnic group for 5-year time periods. Logistic regression was used to evaluate trends over time.

Results

The prevalence of an early age at menarche, nulliparity, and parity of fewer than three children, but not that of a late age at first live birth, increased during the study period. Whereas current smoking decreased for all ethnicities over time, the age-adjusted prevalence of overweight, obesity, college education, and alcohol use increased. Trends differed by ethnicity. For Native Hawaiians, the prevalence of overweight, obesity, alcohol use and nulliparity rose over time. For Japanese, the prevalence of overweight, early age at menarche, and having fewer than three children increased. Caucasians showed an increasing prevalence of overweight, obesity, college education, and nulliparity. In Filipina women, we observed changes in reproductive behavior and increasing obesity.

Conclusions

Despite a slowing trend for some breast cancer risk factors, the overall risk profile in this population may lead to further increases in breast cancer incidence. Different ethnic groups may benefit from specific prevention strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to all the study participants in the 17 studies and to the staff at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii. We also would like to thank Maj Earle who located all the datasets, their documentation, and the respective data collection instruments. This analysis was funded by a special study grant from the National Cancer Institute, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program under contract number N01-PC67001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Research Center, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Gertraud Maskarinec, Yang Zhang, Yumie Takata, Ian Pagano, Dianne M. Shumay, Marc T. Goodman, Loic Le Marchand, Abraham M. Nomura, Lynne R. Wilkens & Laurence N. Kolonel

  2. Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, 1236 Lauhala Street, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA

    Gertraud Maskarinec

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  1. Gertraud Maskarinec
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Correspondence to Gertraud Maskarinec.

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Maskarinec, G., Zhang, Y., Takata, Y. et al. Trends of breast cancer incidence and risk factor prevalence over 25 years. Breast Cancer Res Treat 98, 45–55 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-005-9129-0

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