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. 2020 Oct 28;371:m3873. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3873

Table 1.

Characteristics of women with breast cancer and matched controls one year before index date by database (QResearch and CPRD). Values are percentages (numbers) of participants unless stated otherwise

Characteristics QResearch CPRD
Cases Controls Cases Controls
Total 59 999 269 902 38 612 187 596
Mean (SD) age (years) 63.4 (8.3) 63.6 (8.3) 63.4 (8.3) 63.3 (8.3)
Age group (years):
 50-59 35.7 (21 448) 34.9 (94 327) 36.1 (13 946) 36.6 (68 597)
 60-69 37.4 (22 458) 37.6 (101 481) 37.7 (14 557) 37.6 (70 585)
 70-79 26.8 (16 093) 27.5 (74 094) 26.2 (10 109) 25.8 (48 414)
Mean (SD) years of records 10.5 (5.5) 10.4 (5.5) 15.4 (5.9) 16.3 (5.6)
Ethnicity:
 Recorded 69.3 (41 584) 70.4 (189 903) 71.3 (27 546) 65.0 (121 959)
 White or not recorded 96.1 (57 646) 95.1 (256 792) 97.9 (37 789) 97.7 (183 347)
 Bangladeshi 0.1 (73) 0.3 (691) 0.0 (9) 0.0 (85)
 Black African 0.3 (191) 0.5 (1450) 0.2 (60) 0.2 (298)
 Caribbean 0.7 (439) 0.9 (2299) 0.3 (119) 0.3 (588)
 Chinese 0.2 (115) 0.2 (654) 0.1 (48) 0.1 (223)
 Indian 1.0 (581) 1.1 (3078) 0.6 (226) 0.6 (1134)
 Other 0.7 (424) 0.8 (2216) 0.6 (222) 0.6 (1093)
 Other Asian 0.5 (281) 0.5 (1467) 0.2 (79) 0.3 (503)
 Pakistani 0.4 (249) 0.5 (1255) 0.2 (60) 0.2 (325)
Townsend fifth*: *) based on linked cases and controls
 1 (most affluent) 24.7 (14 810) 24.5 (66 100) 27.4 (6201) 27.1 (29 634)
 2 23.7 (14 191) 23.2 (62 617) 25.4 (5745) 25.1 (27 488)
 3 21.1 (12 630) 21.1 (56 830) 21.0 (4747) 20.9 (22 831)
 4 17.5 (10 492) 18.0 (48 495) 17.0 (3847) 17.2 (18 849)
 5 (most deprived) 13.1 (7876) 13.3 (35 860) 9.7 (2098) 9.8 (10 702)
Body mass index:
 Recorded 80.3 (48 190) 79.5 (214 580) 90.2 (34 834) 86.5 (162 297)
 Mean (SD) 27.5 (5.5) 27.2 (5.5) 27.9 (5.7) 27.6 (5.7)
 15-24 30.0 (17 999) 31.6 (85 193) 32.1 (12 405) 32.7 (61 395)
 25-29 27.8 (16 696) 27.0 (72 808) 31.3 (12 082) 30.2 (56 570)
 ≥30 22.5 (13 495) 21.0 (56 579) 26.8 (10 347) 23.6 (44 332)
Smoking status:
 Recorded 87.4 (52 411) 86.7 (233 955) 95.5 (36 890) 91.8 (172 123)
 Non-smoker 40.4 (24 241) 41.2 (111 282) 58.5 (22 585) 57.4 (107 617)
 Former smoker 32.7 (19 611) 31.6 (85 217) 22.2 (8589) 19.6 (36 761)
 Current smoker:
  Light (1-9 cigarettes/day) 7.6 (4549) 7.5 (20 259) 5.9 (2284) 6.1 (11 379)
  Moderate (10-19) 4.0 (2419) 4.0 (10 783) 5.5 (2141) 5.3 (9921)
  Heavy (≥20) 2.7 (1591) 2.4 (6414) 3.3 (1291) 3.4 (6445)
Alcohol consumption:
 Recorded 79.3 (47 566) 78.3 (211 354) 87.4 (33735) 83.8 (157 295)
 None 18.2 (10 949) 19.6 (52 896) 29.5 (11 376) 29.6 (55 519)
 Former use 8.7 (5198) 8.8 (23 638) 1.8 (712) 1.6 (2935)
 Current user:
  Trivial (<1unit/day) 30.9 (18 547) 30.9 (83 301) 31.9 (12 304) 31.0 (58 125)
  Light (1-2 units/day) 11.6 (6949) 10.8 (29 208) 16.7 (6434) 15.0 (28 090)
  Moderate (3-6) 9.4 (5610) 7.9 (21 215) 5.9 (2279) 5.4 (10 134)
  Heavy (7-9) 0.3 (206) 0.3 (718) 1.1 (416) 0.9 (1714)
  Very heavy (≥10) 0.2 (107) 0.1 (378) 0.6 (214) 0.4 (778)
History of other cancers:
 Any cancer 2.8 (1656) 2.4 (6570) 3.6 (1389) 3.0 (5540)
 Haematological 0.4 (252) 0.3 (936) 0.5 (180) 0.4 (755)
 Cervical 0.2 (114) 0.2 (612) 0.2 (73) 0.2 (440)
 Colorectal 0.5 (287) 0.4 (1202) 0.6 (234) 0.5 (976)
 Lung 0.1 (77) 0.1 (258) 0.1 (35) 0.1 (256)
 Melanoma 0.5 (305) 0.5 (1230) 0.5 (203) 0.4 (660)
 Ovarian 0.2 (103) 0.1 (375) 0.3 (110) 0.2 (436)
 Uterine 0.2 (101) 0.2 (434) 0.3 (130) 0.3 (481)
Chronic conditions:
 Benign breast disease 8.6 (5174) 5.5 (14 787) 9.3 (3591) 6.0 (11 186)
 Diabetes 6.9 (4112) 6.7 (17 972) 7.1 (2757) 6.6 (12 395)
 Mental health disorder 0.9 (542) 0.8 (2046) 0.9 (345) 0.8 (1521)
 Osteoporosis 3.3 (1985) 3.8 (10171) 4.0 (1558) 4.5 (8469)
Other characteristics:
 Early menopause 13.1 (7831) 14.0 (37 764) 11.0 (4230) 11.9 (22 365)
 Late menopause 3.2 (1948) 2.8 (7592) 8.0 (3093) 7.0 (13 225)
 Menopausal symptoms 13.2 (7930) 12.9 (34 803) 23.9 (9214) 22.7 (42 579)
 Mammography scans* 50.3 (30 170) 49.9 (134 728) 21.3 (8242) 20.1 (37 718)
 MRI/CT scans* 6.7 (4004) 6.6 (17 850) 2.6 (1004) 2.6 (4919)
 Oophorectomy or hysterectomy 20.7 (12 437) 21.6 (58 412) 21.4 (8264) 21.1 (39 583)
Family history:
 Any cancer 9.6 (5784) 7.9 (21 260) 5.0 (1939) 3.8 (7127)
 Breast cancer 4.3 (2598) 2.8 (7656) 3.4 (1329) 2.1 (3901)
 Cervical cancer 0.0 (22) 0.0 (112) 0.0 (19) 0.0 (51)
 Osteoporosis 0.9 (513) 0.8 (2147) 0.9 (355) 0.9 (1610)
 Ovarian cancer 0.2 (93) 0.1 (364) 0.2 (73) 0.2 (286)
 Uterine cancer 0.1 (45) 0.1 (172) 0.0 (7) 0.0 (29)
Any use of other drugs before index date:
 Aspirin 15.9 (9533) 16.3 (43 880) 16.3 (6276) 15.9 (29 869)
 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 62.2 (37 305) 61.5 (166 024) 65.6 (25 329) 64.5 (120 920)
 Contraceptive drugs 10.9 (6554) 9.4 (25 494) 17.4 (6735) 17.7 (33 149)
 Tamoxifen 0.7 (436) 0.1 (277) 1.0 (389) 0.2 (394)
 Raloxifene 0.4 (224) 0.5 (1278) 0.4 (168) 0.5 (858)

MRI=magnetic resonance imaging; CT=computed tomography.

*

Based on Hospital Episode Statistics and general practice data for QResearch and on general practice data for Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).