TY - JOUR
T1 - Menstrual cycle patterns and the risk of breast disease
AU - La Vecchia, Carlo
AU - Decarli, Adriano
AU - Di Pietro, Sergio
AU - Franceschi, Silvia
AU - Negri, Eva
AU - Parazzini, Fabio
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - The relationship between menstrual cycle patterns and the risk of breast disease was evaluated using data from a hospital-based case-control study of 288 women with benign breast disease (203 chronic cystic diseases and 85 benign tumours), 317 with breast cancer and 602 age-matched controls with a spectrum of acute conditions unrelated to any of the established or potential risk factors for breast disease. A lifelong irregular menstrual pattern [defined as frequent occurrence of menstrual-like episodes of bleeding less than 21 or more than 35 days apart) was negatively associated with the risk of benign breast lesions (relative risk, RR = 0.6, with 95% confidence interval = 0.4-1.0) and of breast cancer (RR = 0.4, with 95% confidence interval = 0.3-0.8]. This inverse association could not be explained by any of the identified potential confounding factors, including the major risk factors for breast disease. The findings of this study, showing that a lifelong history of irregular (and hence more likely anovular) cycles was less frequent among women with benign and malignant breast diseases, support the hypothesis that frequent ovular cycles might be more carcinogenic than anovular ones.
AB - The relationship between menstrual cycle patterns and the risk of breast disease was evaluated using data from a hospital-based case-control study of 288 women with benign breast disease (203 chronic cystic diseases and 85 benign tumours), 317 with breast cancer and 602 age-matched controls with a spectrum of acute conditions unrelated to any of the established or potential risk factors for breast disease. A lifelong irregular menstrual pattern [defined as frequent occurrence of menstrual-like episodes of bleeding less than 21 or more than 35 days apart) was negatively associated with the risk of benign breast lesions (relative risk, RR = 0.6, with 95% confidence interval = 0.4-1.0) and of breast cancer (RR = 0.4, with 95% confidence interval = 0.3-0.8]. This inverse association could not be explained by any of the identified potential confounding factors, including the major risk factors for breast disease. The findings of this study, showing that a lifelong history of irregular (and hence more likely anovular) cycles was less frequent among women with benign and malignant breast diseases, support the hypothesis that frequent ovular cycles might be more carcinogenic than anovular ones.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0021813944&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0021813944&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/0277-5379(85)90030-6
DO - 10.1016/0277-5379(85)90030-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 4007015
AN - SCOPUS:0021813944
VL - 21
SP - 417
EP - 422
JO - European Journal of Cancer
JF - European Journal of Cancer
SN - 0959-8049
IS - 4
ER -