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. 2025 May 21;40(8):937–946. doi: 10.1007/s10654-025-01228-7

Table 3.

Adjusted difference in LDL-cholesterol-change according to use of AIT in a nationwide cohort of postmenopausal women with early breast cancer, January 2009 to December 2020, Denmark, analyses with stratification according to subgroups

Women (n, no use of AIT/use of AIT) Adjusted difference in LDL-cholesterol changea,b
Main estimate 2542/7919 − 0.03 (− 0.07, 0.003)
Subgroup analyses
Time since start of the time window for included post-breast cancer lipid measurements
 < 1 year 1689/5468 − 0.02(− 0.07,0.02)
1–2 years 2014/6435 − 0.05(− 0.09,− 0.01)
3–4 years 1393/4342 − 0.03(− 0.07,0.02)
History of ischemic CVDc
No history of IHD or IS 2123/6738 − 0.04(− 0.08,− 0.004)
History of IHD or IS 419/1181 0.02(-0.05,0.10)
Agec
 < 70 yearsd 1704/4496 − 0.05(− 0.09,− 0.01)
 ≥ 70 yearsd 838/3423 − 0.003(− 0.06,− 0.05)
Lipid lowering drugsc
No lipid lowering drugs 1556/4875 − 0.04(− 0.09,− 0.0001)
Lipid lowering drugs 986/3044 − 0.02(− 0.08,0.03)
History of hypertensionc
No history of hypertension 1371/4086 − 0.05(− 0.09,− 0.001)
History of hypertension 1171/3833 − 0.02(− 0.07,0.03)
History of diabetesc
No history of diabetes 2195/6806 − 0.03(− 0.07,0.004)
History of diabetes 347/1113 − 0.03(− 0.11,0.05)

AIT, aromatase inhibitor treatment; BMI, body mass index, CVD, cardiovascular disease; IHD, ischemic heart disease; IS, ischemic stroke.

‘Use of AIT’ is defined as allocated and dispensed treatment with AIT, and ‘No use of AIT’ is defined as no allocated and no dispensed treatment with AIT; both as recorded in the clinical database of the Danish Breast Cancer Group (see Table S3 for further definitions).

aThe model included, as fixed effects, use of AIT, demographic characteristics (age [2-year intervals], calendar period [1-year intervals], education, region of residence, disposable household income, and cohabitory status), tumor characteristics (laterality, size, histology and malignancy grade, lymph node involvement, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-status), other anti-cancer treatments (type of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy), the interaction between laterality and radiotherapy, and the time of lipid-measurement; and a random intercept, to account for the inter-individual variability.

bThe p-values (testing for homogeneity) were as follows: time since start of the time window for included post-breast cancer lipid measurements 0.31, history of ischemic CVD 0.10, age at baseline 0.17, lipid lowering drugs 0.50, hypertension 0.35, and diabetes 0.95.

cStatus for the subgrouped covariate is assessed at index date (defined as date of breast cancer diagnosis (surgery date or biopsy date if neoadjuvant treatment)).

dThe cut-off for age was chosen based on the median (see Table 1)