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. 1997;75(7):1075–1079. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1997.183

A prospective study of endogenous serum hormone concentrations and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women on the island of Guernsey.

H V Thomas 1, T J Key 1, D S Allen 1, J W Moore 1, M Dowsett 1, I S Fentiman 1, D Y Wang 1
PMCID: PMC2222732  PMID: 9083346

Abstract

The associations between serum concentrations of oestradiol, progesterone, testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women were investigated in a prospective study of breast cancer on the island of Guernsey. Sixty-two women diagnosed with breast cancer an average of 8 years subsequent to blood collection were matched for day of menstrual cycle, age and year of blood collection with 182 control subjects. Cases had a 12% higher mean oestradiol concentration over the whole menstrual cycle (P = 0.17) with a large difference at mid-cycle (75% higher, P = 0.04). Differences between cases and control subjects in progesterone (luteal phase), testosterone and SHBG were small and not statistically significant: luteal phase progesterone 9% lower in cases, P = 0.64; testosterone 4% higher, P = 0.57; SHBG 8% higher, P = 0.24. The small difference in oestradiol concentration could be aetiologically important, but larger prospective studies are needed.

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Selected References

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