Skip to main content
PMC home page
Canadian Medical Association Journal logoLink to Canadian Medical Association Journal
. 1981 Jun 1;124(11):1451–1457.

Reproductive events and family history as risk factors for breast cancer in northern Alberta.

P E Burns, A W Lees, M E Hurlburt, C L May, M Grace
PMCID: PMC1862345  PMID: 7237327

Abstract

Reproductive events and family history as risk factors for breast cancer in northern Alberta were investigated with the use of data from a computerized population-based registry. Women aged 30 to 79 years attending diagnostic breast clinics at the Cross Cancer Institute from 1971 through 1975 constituted the two study groups; 1232 women had diagnosed breast cancer (malignant disease group) and 602 women were clinically free of all types of breast disease (control group). An increased relative risk of breast cancer was found in women with a family history of breast cancer, those who gave birth to their first term infant at age 30 years or older, those in whom more than 15 years elapsed between menarche and that birth, and those with a late natural menopause. There was a decreased risk, relative to nulliparity, in the postmenopausal women who first gave birth to a term infant 5 years or less after menarche. Artificial menopause (bilateral oophorectomy), parity and age at menarche had no apparent effect on the risk. The pattern of risk factors in northern Alberta differed from that reported for other geographic areas, including other provinces of Canada, thus emphasizing the need for local studies in the planning of screening programs.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Adami H. O., Rimsten A., Stenkvist B., Vegelius J. Reproductive history and risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in an unselected Swedish population. Cancer. 1978 Feb;41(2):747–757. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197802)41:2<747::aid-cncr2820410248>3.0.co;2-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Anderson D. E. Some characteristics of familial breast cancer. Cancer. 1971 Dec;28(6):1500–1504. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197112)28:6<1500::aid-cncr2820280623>3.0.co;2-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Burns P. E., Kredentser J., Grace M., Hanson J. Breast cancer in northern Alberta: pilot study in computerized registration. Can Med Assoc J. 1977 May 21;116(10):1131–1135. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Choi N. W., Howe G. R., Miller A. B., Matthews V., Morgan R. W., Munan L., Burch J. D., Feather J., Jain M., Kelly A. An epidemiologic study of breast cancer. Am J Epidemiol. 1978 Jun;107(6):510–521. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112570. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DE WAARD F., BAANDERS-VANHALEWIJN E. A., HUIZINGA J. THE BIMODAL AGE DISTRIBUTION OF PATIENTS WITH MAMMARY CARCINOMA; EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF 2 TYPES OF HUMAN BREAST CANCER. Cancer. 1964 Feb;17:141–151. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196402)17:2<141::aid-cncr2820170202>3.0.co;2-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Henderson B. E., Powell D., Rosario I., Keys C., Hanisch R., Young M., Casagrande J., Gerkins V., Pike M. C. An epidemiologic study of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1974 Sep;53(3):609–614. doi: 10.1093/jnci/53.3.609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Herity B. A., O'Halloran M. J., Bourke G. J., Wilson-Davis K. A study of breast cancer in Irish women. Br J Prev Soc Med. 1975 Sep;29(3):178–181. doi: 10.1136/jech.29.3.178. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Honeyman K. A., Taylor R. D., Gaudette L. A., Grace M. A systems design for surveillance of a chronic disease: a computerized cancer registry. Med Inform (Lond) 1977 Dec;2(4):269–277. doi: 10.3109/14639237709015183. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Horwitz R. I., Feinstein A. R. Methodologic standards and contradictory results in case-control research. Am J Med. 1979 Apr;66(4):556–564. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(79)91164-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lees A. W., Burns P. E., Grace M. Oral contraceptives and breast disease in premenopausal Northern Albertan women. Int J Cancer. 1978 Dec;22(6):700–707. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910220611. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lilienfeld A. M., Coombs J., Bross I. D., Chamberlain A. Marital and reproductive experience in a community-wide epidemiological study of breast cancer. Johns Hopkins Med J. 1975 Apr;136(4):157–162. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lowe C. R., MacMahon B. Breast cancer and reproductive history of women in South Wales. Lancet. 1970 Jan 24;1(7639):153–156. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(70)90401-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MANTEL N., HAENSZEL W. Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1959 Apr;22(4):719–748. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MacMahon B., Cole P., Brown J. Etiology of human breast cancer: a review. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1973 Jan;50(1):21–42. doi: 10.1093/jnci/50.1.21. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Miller A. B. An overview of hormone-associated cancers. Cancer Res. 1978 Nov;38(11 Pt 2):3985–3990. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mirra A. P., Cole P., MacMahon B. Breast cancer in an area of high parity: São Paulo, Brazil. Cancer Res. 1971 Feb;31(2):77–83. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Morgan R. W., Vakil D. V. Etiology of breast cancer. III. Opportunities for prevention. Can Med Assoc J. 1974 Nov 16;111(10):1105–1107. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ravnihar B., MacMahon B., Lindtner J. Epidemiologic features of breast cancer in Slovenia, 1965-1967. Eur J Cancer. 1971 Aug;7(4):295–306. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(71)90072-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Salber E. J., Trichopulos D., MacMahon B. Lactation and reproductive histories of breast cancer patients in Boston, 1965-66. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1969 Nov;43(5):1013–1024. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sherman B. M., Korenman S. G. Inadequate corpus luteum function: a pathophysiological interpretation of human breast cancer epidemiology. Cancer. 1974 May;33(5):1306–1312. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197405)33:5<1306::aid-cncr2820330515>3.0.co;2-#. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Soini I. Risk factors of breast cancer in Finland. Int J Epidemiol. 1977 Dec;6(4):365–373. doi: 10.1093/ije/6.4.365. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Staszewski J. Age at menarche and breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1971 Nov;47(5):935–940. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Strax P. Evaluation of screening programs for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Surg Clin North Am. 1978 Aug;58(4):667–679. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)41580-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Thein-Hlaing, Thein-Maung-Myint Risk factors of breast cancer in Burma. Int J Cancer. 1978 Apr 15;21(4):432–437. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910210406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Vakil D. V., Morgan R. W. Etiology of breast cancer. II. Epidemiologic aspects. Can Med Assoc J. 1973 Aug 4;109(3):201–206. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Valaoras V. G., MacMahon B., Trichopoulos D., Polychronopoulou A. Lactation and reproductive histories of breast cancer patients in greater Athens, 1965-67. Int J Cancer. 1969 May 15;4(3):350–363. doi: 10.1002/ijc.2910040312. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Vorherr H., Messer R. H. Breast cancer: potentially predisposing and protecting factors. Role of pregnancy, lactation, and endocrine status. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1978 Feb 1;130(3):335–358. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wynder E. L., MacCornack F. A., Stellman S. D. The epidemiology of breast cancer in 785 United States Caucasian women. Cancer. 1978 Jun;41(6):2341–2354. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197806)41:6<2341::aid-cncr2820410637>3.0.co;2-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Yuasa S., MacMahon B. Lactation and reproductive histories of breast cancer patients in Tokyo, Japan. Bull World Health Organ. 1970;42(2):195–204. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Medical Association Journal are provided here courtesy of Canadian Medical Association

RESOURCES