Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1998 Feb;89(2):116–123. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1998.tb00538.x

Risk Factors for Benign Breast Disease according to Histopathological Type: Comparisons with Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Yuko Minami 1,2,✉, Noriaki Ohuchi 3, Yoshinori Taeda 4, Akira Fukao 5, Shigeru Hisamichi 2
PMCID: PMC5921763  PMID: 9548437

Abstract

We evaluated risk factors for benign breast disease by using a case‐control study method. The series was taken from participants in breast cancer screening programs during 1978–1986 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. All benign breast lesions diagnosed during this period were reviewed and reclassified into proliferative and non‐proliferative types based on the Dupont and Page classification. Data on 382 benign breast disease cases (130 proliferative‐type cases and 252 non‐proliferative‐type cases) and 1,489 screening year‐, age‐ and screening area‐matched normal controls were used for analysis. Nulliparity or low parity and family history of breast cancer in mother or sisters were significantly associated with an increased risk of proliferative type. Premenopausal status was significantly associated with an increased risk of non‐proliferative type. No significant association with history of lactation for the last child was observed in either type, but the risk of proliferative type increased with increasing duration of lactation (P=0.08). A comparison between the present findings and the risk factors for breast cancer indicated epidemiologic similarities between proliferative benign and malignant breast lesions in general. The associations of these two lesions with lactation patterns were, however, dissimilar.

Keywords: Benign breast disease, Breast cancer, Risk factors

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (74.5 KB).

REFERENCES

  • 1. ) Brinton , L. A. , Williams , R. R. , Hoover , R. N. , Stegens , N. L. , Feinleib , M. and Fraumeni , J. F. , Jr.Breast cancer risk factors among screening program participants . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 62 , 37 – 43 ( 1979. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2. ) Helmrich , S. P. , Shapiro , S. , Rosenberg , L. , Kaufman , D. W. , Slone , D. , Bain , C. , Miettinen , O. S. , Stolley , P. D. , Rosenshein , N. B. , Knapp , R. C. , Leavitt , T. , Jr. , Schotten‐feld , D. , Engle , R. L. , Jr. and Levy , M.Risk factors for breast cancer . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 117 , 35 – 45 ( 1983. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 3. ) Hirohata , T. , Shigematsu , T. , Nomura , A. M. Y. , Nomura , Y. , Horie , A. and Hirohata , I.Occurrence of breast cancer in relation to diet and reproductive history: a case‐control study in Fukuoka, Japan . Natl. Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 69 , 187 – 190 ( 1985. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4. ) Minami , Y. , Ohuchi , N. , Fukao , A. and Hisamichi , S.Risk factors for breast cancer: a case‐control study of screen‐detected breast cancer in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan . Breast Cancer Res. Treat. , 44 , 225 – 233 ( 1997. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5. ) Hutchinson , W. B. , Thomas , D. B. , Hamlin , W. B. , Roth , G. J. , Peterson , A. V. and Williams , B.Risk of breast cancer in women with benign breast disease . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 65 , 13 – 20 ( 1980. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6. ) Dupont , W. D. and Page , D. L.Risk factors for breast cancer in women with proliferative breast disease . N. Engl. J. Med. , 312 , 146 – 151 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7. ) Carter , C. L. , Corle , D. K. , Micozzi , M. S. , Schatzkin , A. and Taylor , P. R.A prospective study of the development of breast cancer in 16,692 women with benign breast disease . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 128 , 467 – 477 ( 1988. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8. ) Nomura , Y. , Tashiro , H. and Katsuda , Y.Benign breast disease as a breast cancer risk in Japanese women . Jpn. J. Cancer Res. , 84 , 938 – 944 ( 1993. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9. ) Morgan , R. W. , Vakil , D. V. and Chipman , M. L.Breast feeding, family history, and breast disease . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 99 , 117 – 122 ( 1974. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10. ) Kelsey , J. L. , Lindfors , K. K. and White , C.A case‐control study of the epidemiology of benign breast diseases with reference to oral contraceptive use . Int. J. Epidemiol. , 3 , 333 – 340 ( 1974. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11. ) Nomura , A. , Comstock , G. W. and Tonascia , J. A.Epidemiologic characteristics of benign breast disease . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 105 , 505 – 512 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12. ) Cole , P. , Elwood , M. and Kaplan , S.Incidence rates and risk factors of benign breast neoplasms . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 108 , 112 – 120 ( 1978. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13. ) Sartwell , P. E. , Arthes , F. G. and Tonascia , J. A.Benign and malignant breast tumors: epidemiological similarities . Int. J. Epidemiol. , 7 , 217 – 221 ( 1978. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14. ) Soini , I. and Hakama , M.Inverse association between risk factors for benign and malignant breast lesions . Scand. J. Soc. Med. , 7 , 79 – 85 ( 1979. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15. ) Brinton , L. A. , Vessey , M. P. , Flavel , R. and Yeates , D.Risk factors for benign breast disease . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 113 , 203 – 214 ( 1981. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16. ) Soini , I. , Aine , R. , Lauslahti , K. and Hakama , M.Independent risk factors of benign and malignant breast lesions . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 114 , 507 – 514 ( 1981. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17. ) Parazzini , F. , Vecchia , C. L. , Franceschi , S. , Decarli , A. , Gallus , G. , Regallo , M. , Liberati , A. and Tognoni , G.Risk factors for pathologically confirmed benign breast disease . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 120 , 115 – 122 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18. ) Berkowitz , G. S. , Kelsey , J. L. , LiVolsi , V. A. , Holford , T. R. , Merino , M. J. , Ort , S. , O'Connor , T. Z. and White , C.Risk factors for fibrocystic breast disease and its histopathologie components . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 75 , 43 – 50 ( 1985. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19. ) Bright , R. A. , Morrison , A. S. , Brisson , J. , Burstein , N. A. , Sadowsky , N. L. , Kopans , D. B. and Meyer , J. E.Histologic and mammographic specificity of risk factors for benign breast disease . Cancer , 64 , 653 – 657 ( 1989. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20. ) Yu , H. , Rohan , T. E. , Cook , M. G. , Howe , G. R. and Miller , A. B.Risk factors for fibroadenoma: a case‐control study in Australia . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 135 , 247 – 258 ( 1992. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21. ) Rautalahti , M. , Albanes , D. , Haukka , J. and Virtamo , J.Risk factors for histologically confirmed benign breast tumors . Eur. J. Epidemiol. , 10 , 259 – 265 ( 1994. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22. ) Ernster , V. L.The epidemiology of benign breast disease . Epidemiol. Rev. , 3 , 184 – 202 ( 1981. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23. ) Wang , D. Y. and Fentiman , I. S.Epidemiology and endocrinology of benign breast disease . Breast Cancer Res. Treat. , 6 , 5 – 36 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24. ) Consensus Meeting . Is “fibrocystic disease” of the breast precancerous ? Arch. Pathol. Lab. Med. , 110 , 171 – 173 ( 1986. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 25. ) Page , D. L. , Anderson , T. J. and Rogers , L. W.Epithelial hyperplasia . In“Diagnostic Histopathology of the Breast ,” ed. Page D. L. and Anderson T. J. , pp. 120 – 156 ( 1987. ). Churchill Livingstone; , Edinburgh . [Google Scholar]
  • 26. ) Page , D. L. and Simpson , J. F.Benign, high‐risk, and pre‐malignant lesions of the mamma . In“The Breast‐Comprehensive Management of Benign and Malignant Diseases ,” ed. Bland K. I. and Copeland E. M. , III , pp. 113 – 134 ( 1991. ). W. B. Saunders Co. , Philadelphia . [Google Scholar]
  • 27. ) Palli , D. , Rosselli Del Turco, M. , Simoncini , R. and Bianchi , S.Benign breast disease and breast cancer: a case‐control study in a cohort in Italy . Int. J. Cancer , 47 , 703 – 706 ( 1991. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 28. ) London , S. J. , Connolly , J. L. , Schnitt , S. J. and Colditz , G. A.A prospective study of benign breast disease and the risk of breast cancer . J. Am. Med. Assoc. , 267 , 941 – 944 ( 1992. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29. ) Dupont , W. D. , Parl , F. F. , Hartmann , W. H. , Brinton , L. A. , Winfield , A. C. , Worrell , J. A. , Schuyler , P. A. and Plummer , W. D.Breast cancer risk associated with proliferative breast disease and atypical hyperplasia . Cancer , 71 , 1258 – 1265 ( 1993. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 30. ) Marshall , L. M. , Hunter , D. J. , Connolly , J. L. , Schnitt , S. J. , Byrne , C. , London , S. J. and Colditz , G. A.Risk of breast cancer associated with atypical hyperplasia of lobular and ductal types . Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. , 6 , 297 – 301 ( 1997. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 31. ) Breslow , N. E. and Day , N. E.“Statistical Methods in Cancer Research Volume 1—The Analysis of Case‐Control Studies ,” pp. 248 – 279 ( 1980. ). International Agency for Research on Cancer; , Lyon . [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32. ) Sasano , N. , Tateno , H. and Stemmermann , G. N.Volume and hyperplastic lesions of breasts of Japanese women in Hawaii and Japan . Prev. Med. , 7 , 196 – 204 ( 1978. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES