Table 2.
HR and 95% CI for GC exposures (according to route of administration), stratified by presence/absence of chemotherapy and positive/negative estrogen receptor (ER) status, and for categories of prednisolone-equivalent doses (only systemic GC) and cumulative increase in GC exposure over 10 years
| Unadjusteda HR (95% CI) |
Adjustedab HR (95% CI) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systemic GC | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | ||
| Inhaled GC | 0.9 (0.7–1.0) | 0.9 (0.7–1.0) | ||
| Intestinal GC | 1.0 (0.9–1.2) | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) | ||
| Chemotherapy | No chemotherapy | Chemotherapy | No chemotherapy | |
| Systemic GC | 1.1 (0.9–1.4) | 1.0 (0.9–1.2) | 1.1 (0.9–1.4) | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) |
| Inhaled GC | 0.9 (0.6–1.2) | 0.9 (0.7–1.1) | 0.9 (0.6–1.3) | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) |
| Intestinal GC | 0.9 (0.7–1.2) | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 0.9 (0.6–1.2) | 1.0 (0.8–1.3) |
| ER positive | ER negative | ER positive | ER negative | |
| Systemic GC | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 1.1 (0.8–1.4) | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | 1.0 (0.8–1.4) |
| Inhaled GC | 0.9 (0.7–1.1) | 0.8 (0.6–1.2) | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) |
| Intestinal GC | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) | 1.0 (0.8–1.2) | 1.0 (0.7–1.4) |
| Prednisolone-equivalent dose (mg)c | ||||
| 1–999 | 0.9 (0.8–1.0) | 0.9 (0.8–1.1) | ||
| 1000–4999 | 0.9 (0.8–1.1) | 0.8 (0.7–1.0) | ||
| ≥5000 | 1.0 (0.7–1.5) | 0.9 (0.6–1.4) | ||
| Cumulative increase in duration of GC exposure over a 10-year periodc | 1.0 (0.9–1.0) | 1.1 (0.9–1.3) | ||
Reference group is nonusers. Stage I–III breast cancer patients diagnosed in Denmark, 1996–2003 (N = 18 251).
aModels incorporating yearly updated drug exposure, lagged by 1 year.
aModels adjusted for age at diagnosis (continuous), menopausal status at diagnosis, UICC stage (design variables), histological grade (design variables), ER status and receipt of adjuvant endocrine therapy (conjugated, design variables), receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy, type of primary surgery received, Charlson Comorbidity Index score (design variables), pre-diagnosis combination HRT, and co-prescriptions (time-varying, updated yearly, and lagged by 1 year) of any β-blockers, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, ASAs, and simvastatin.
bApplies only to systemic GCs.
cThe cumulative increase in the duration of GC exposure over a 10-year period was updated yearly. GC exposure was lagged by 1 year.