Table 3. Association between the protein levels of inflammatory markers in normal breast tissue and the predominant lobule typea.
| Two-category quick scoreb | Predominant lobule type | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All women (n = 164) | Premenopausal women (n = 82) | Postmenopausal women (n = 82) | |||||||
| Pro-inflammatory markers | N | Crude | Adjustedc | N | Crude | Adjustedc | N | Crude | Adjustedc |
| IL-6 | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 64 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 24 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 40 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 95 | 0.76 (0.52–1.11) | 0.96 (0.68–1.34) | 56 | 0.94 (0.37–2.42) | 1.06 (0.43–2.60) | 39 | 0.94 (0.66–1.35) | 0.96 (0.68–1.35) |
| Pe | 0.166 | 0.793 | 0.904 | 0.897 | 0.748 | 0.809 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.911 | 0.718 | 0.956 | ||||||
| TNF-α | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 65 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 22 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 43 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 95 | 0.62 (0.43–0.90) | 0.82 (0.58–1.16) | 58 | 0.38 (0.16–0.89) | 0.43 (0.18–0.98) | 37 | 1.03 (0.73–1.46) | 1.05 (0.75–1.47) |
| Pe | 0.014 | 0.266 | 0.055 | 0.072 | 0.876 | 0.767 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.467 | 0.118 | 0.630 | ||||||
| CRP | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 76 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 23 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 53 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 85 | 0.58 (0.40–0.85) | 0.85 (0.59–1.23) | 57 | 0.67 (0.28–1.64) | 0.77 (0.32–1.86) | 28 | 0.89 (0.61–1.30) | 0.93 (0.64–1.35) |
| Pe | 0.005 | 0.380 | 0.417 | 0.577 | 0.541 | 0.700 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.537 | 0.684 | 0.687 | ||||||
| COX-2 (epithelial expression) | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 56 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 19 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 37 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 103 | 0.50 (0.35–0.71) | 0.65 (0.46–0.91) | 61 | 0.24 (0.10–0.56) | 0.26 (0.11–0.60) | 42 | 0.85 (0.60–1.19) | 0.89 (0.64–1.24) |
| Pe | 0.0003 | 0.017 | 0.009 | 0.009 | 0.339 | 0.492 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.018 | 0.011 | 0.393 | ||||||
| COX-2 (stromal expression) | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 18 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 5 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 13 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 142 | 0.80 (0.49–1.33) | 0.97 (0.63–1.48) | 75 | 1.00 (0.16–6.11) | 1.11 (0.20–6.27) | 67 | 1.02 (0.64–1.63) | 1.00 (0.66–1.53) |
| Pe | 0.436 | 0.882 | 1.000 | 0.899 | 0.938 | 0.984 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.823 | 0.772 | 0.853 | ||||||
| Leptin | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 59 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 22 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 37 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 99 | 0.60 (0.41–0.86) | 0.82 (0.58–1.16) | 58 | 0.63 (0.26–1.53) | 0.77 (0.32–1.84) | 41 | 0.76 (0.54–1.09) | 0.84 (0.59–1.18) |
| Pe | 0.008 | 0.274 | 0.354 | 0.574 | 0.130 | 0.304 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.247 | 0.615 | 0.286 | ||||||
| SAA1 | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 38 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 15 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 23 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 117 | 0.67 (0.45–0.98) | 0.81 (0.57–1.17) | 65 | 0.69 (0.26–1.85) | 0.94 (0.37–2.37) | 52 | 0.80 (0.56–1.15) | 0.80 (0.56–1.15) |
| Pe | 0.063 | 0.281 | 0.512 | 0.898 | 0.250 | 0.250 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.302 | 0.857 | 0.291 | ||||||
| STAT3 | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 22 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 8 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 14 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 137 | 0.60 (0.41–0.87) | 0.73 (0.53–1.00) | 72 | 0.83 (0.23–3.00) | 0.93 (0.29–2.99) | 65 | 0.66 (0.49–0.90) | 0.69 (0.52–0.93) |
| Pe | 0.033 | 0.080 | 0.798 | 0.910 | 0.025 | 0.033 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.092 | 0.822 | 0.049 | ||||||
| IL-8 | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 10 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 3 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 7 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 150 | 0.48 (0.33–0.70) | 0.62 (0.42–0.91) | 77 | 0.58 (0.11–3.08) | 0.68 (0.16–2.98) | 73 | 0.59 (0.49–0.71) | 0.61 (0.47–0.80) |
| Pe | 0.022 | 0.052 | 0.629 | 0.683 | 0.007 | 0.017 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.024 | 0.546 | 0.014 | ||||||
| Anti-inflammatory markers | |||||||||
| TGF-β | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 80 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 36 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 44 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 81 | 0.99 (0.68–1.43) | 1.14 (0.83–1.58) | 44 | 1.80 (0.69–4.71) | 1.84 (0.72–4.68) | 37 | 0.93 (0.66–1.32) | 0.99 (0.71–1.37) |
| Pe | 0.948 | 0.417 | 0.207 | 0.180 | 0.701 | 0.943 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.362 | 0.214 | 0.996 | ||||||
| IL-10 | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 74 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 30 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 44 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 77 | 0.57 (0.38–0.87) | 0.72 (0.50–1.06) | 48 | 0.63 (0.24–1.60) | 0.66 (0.25–1.71) | 29 | 0.76 (0.51–1.14) | 0.78 (0.54–1.13) |
| Pe | 0.007 | 0.087 | 0.348 | 0.403 | 0.164 | 0.180 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.118 | 0.403 | 0.185 | ||||||
| Lactoferrin | |||||||||
| Low levelsd | 51 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 20 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 31 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| High levels | 104 | 0.68 (0.47–0.99) | 0.82 (0.59–1.15) | 60 | 1.00 (0.36–2.75) | 1.34 (0.47–3.80) | 44 | 0.77 (0.54–1.09) | 0.85 (0.62–1.17) |
| Pe | 0.056 | 0.256 | 1.000 | 0.567 | 0.145 | 0.320 | |||
| Pe,f | 0.347 | 0.569 | 0.122 | ||||||
Abbreviations: IL-6, interleukin 6; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor-α; CRP, C-reactive protein; COX-2, cyclooxygenase 2; SAA1, serum amyloid A1; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; IL-8, interleukin 8; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; IL-10, interleukin 10.
a Predominant lobule type was categorized as predominant type 1/no type 3 lobules vs. other lobule types.
b Quick score was dichotomized into low and high levels using the median of each marker as cut-off. Median of IL-6 = 2, TNF-α = 2, CRP = 2, COX-2 (epithelial expression) = 6, COX-2 (stromal expression) = 1, leptin = 6, SAA1 = 3, STAT3 = 3, IL-8 = 3, TGF-β = 1, IL-10 = 6, lactoferrin = 3.
c Adjusted for age at breast surgery.
d Referent category.
e Score test of heterogeneity.
f Adjusted for age at breast surgery and waist circumference. Analyses for all women were also adjusted for menopausal status.