Alcohol increases breast cancer risk by 10% and 40%

Vic · 10-12-2007, 07:02 PM

How do some of you feel about Brian Williams news story from last month that included Robert Bazell's piece on alcohol and its connection with breast cancer as shown here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21083325/

I enjoy a glass of champagne with dinner, but now it has me scared, since it says one glass of any alcohol (wine, beer or hard liquor) can increase breast cancer risk by 10% and as much as 40% with three or more glasses.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, especially those of you who have continued to drink alcoholic beverages.

Vicki

StillHere · 10-12-2007, 07:35 PM

Hi Vic, I am going for quality of life vs quantity. Cheers!

fauxgypsy · 10-12-2007, 07:45 PM

Up until last month I hadn't had a beer since I started chemo. I like to have a beer occasionally. Then I see this research. I think "d@#&*t. Then I remind myself of the following story. Years ago I was on a beach in N.C. It was cold and I had the beach to myself. A guy came over after a while and we started talking. He said he was a priest and we talked for a little while. Then he offered me an illegal substance (many long years ago). I was shocked, not by the substance but by the priest having it. When I questioned him, he said that he was an Episcopalian priest, that they believed in all things in moderation. So when I start to obsess about something like my occasional beer, I remember the priest on the beach. Quality of life is good!

Leslie

PinkGirl · 10-12-2007, 08:03 PM

Love that beach story Faux - everything in moderation, even for the priests.

I have never been much of a drinker. On Christmas morning I sometimes put some Bailey's in my coffee. I have met so many women who have none of the risk factors for BC but get it anyway. That research would not stop me from having an occasional drink if I wanted one. I'll still be throwing the Bailey's in my coffee this Christmas.

Jeanette · 10-12-2007, 08:37 PM

I enjoy having my wine and cheese in the evenings. There are people out there that have never smoked or drank and are riddled with cancer. I am not saying go out and drink for drinking sake, but like the last few posters , every thing in moderation. I had an aunt that maybe had a drink twice a year and died of breast cancer. So it is an individual choice, for myself I will continue to have my wine in the evenings, Blessing s to all, Jeanette

Debra · 10-12-2007, 08:44 PM

Well from what I understand, it is the excess estrogen secreted from alcohol use that increases the risk.
I have had a hysterectomy and I am on an AI, so you know what-----I don't have any estrogen!! So, I will enjoy my glass of wine!

hutchibk · 10-12-2007, 09:45 PM

You know, I'm not much of a drinker either. (see nickname: 'half beer brenda') But I do have about 3 beers a month and at least one margarita a month. I can't imagine that that small amount would be very harmful. Now I will probably reconsider and not have any at all if I ever start to show up with Liver mets....

R.B. · 10-13-2007, 03:45 AM

This is an interesting informative yet understandable article on alcohol and BC, and should be considered in the light of the later articles on alcohol and BC status. As usual it appears to be complex.

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content...2e128dc81feffc

ABSTRACT

"Recommendations

The potential risks vs benefits of alcohol consumption should be considered in individual decision making.215 Clearly, alcohol abuse and excessive drinking (>=3 drinks per day) should be discouraged, in light of the numerous deleterious health consequences accompanying such behavior.216 Also, women abstaining for personal, ethical, or religious reasons should not be encouraged to drink to reap a perceived health benefit. For those considered sporadic or occasional social drinkers (<1 drink per day), alcohol consumption is unlikely to significantly affect breast cancer risk. Regular consumption of alcohol as low as 1 to 2 drinks per day may contribute to a modest increase in risk. However, when considering low-to-moderate levels of consumption, recommendations based on a woman's overall risk profile for chronic disease seem prudent.20, 217-218 Thus, recommendations about alcohol consumption remain valid1, 219 (ie, women who do not drink should not start, and those who do drink should do so in moderation, which is generally recognized to be about 1 drink per day).

Alcohol intake is one of the few modifiable breast cancer risk factors yet identified.220 To better understand the etiologic nature of the effect of alcohol on breast carcinogenesis, more research is needed. In particular, studies should focus on interactions between alcohol and other risk factors221 and on additional insights into the multiple biological mechanisms involved."

This is an interesting review

This and the two other items below all seem to suggest alcohol impacts aromatase and oestrogen related products.

It suggests risk may be BC type related.

RB

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/con...ull/12/10/1061

"Reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies evaluating alcohol use and breast cancer risk have consistently shown that alcohol use is a moderate risk factor for breast cancer (1, 2, 3, 4) . Specifically, a recent pooled analysis of 53 epidemiological studies reported that breast cancer risk increases 7.1% with each additional 10 g/day of alcohol consumed (1) ."

The Relationship between Alcohol Use and Risk of Breast Cancer by Histology and Hormone Receptor Status among Women 65–79 Years of Age1
Christopher I. Li2, Kathleen E. Malone, Peggy L. Porter, Noel S. Weiss, Mei-Tzu C. Tang and Janet R. Daling

"Alcohol consumption is associated with a moderate increase in breast cancer risk, possibly because alcohol increases estrogen levels in blood. Certain types of breast carcinomas are more hormonally responsive than others, including those that have a lobular histology or are hormone receptor positive, but few studies evaluating alcohol use and breast cancer risk have stratified results by histology or estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR) status. We conducted a population-based case-control study of women 65–79 years of age in western Washington State. Women (975) diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during 1997–1999 were compared with 1007 controls. Ever-use of alcohol over the past 20 years was associated with a 1.3-fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0–1.5] increased risk of breast cancer, although this increase was primarily limited to women who consumed >=30.0 g/day of alcohol [odds ratio (OR), 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1–2.6]. Differences in risk by histology were observed: ever-use of alcohol was associated with a 1.8-fold (95% CI, 1.3–2.5) increased risk of lobular cancer but only a 1.2-fold (95% CI, 0.9–1.4) increased risk of ductal cancer. Ever-users of alcohol had an increase in risk of ER+/PR+ tumors (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1–1.7), but no change in their risks of ER+/PR- or ER-/PR- tumors. Alcohol use appears to be more strongly associated with risk of lobular carcinomas and hormone receptor-positive tumors than it is with other types of breast cancer. These results are consistent with there being an underlying hormonal basis for the known association between alcohol use and breast cancer incidence....."

R.B. · 10-13-2007, 04:00 AM

Here is a trial in the lab again suggesting differences in effect for different BC status.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...t=AbstractPlus

"Treatment of ER+ human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and ZR75.1) with ethanol at concentrations between 10 and 100 mM was associated with increased cell numbers compared to controls. The ERalpha content and the amount of intracellular cAMP also increased in ER+ cells exposed to ethanol, compared to controls. On the other hand, ethanol treatment did not increase cell proliferation or cAMP levels in the ER- (BT-20 and MDA-MB-231) human breast cancer cells. Therefore, ethanol added at physiologically relevant concentrations to ER+ human breast cancer cell cultures can enhance cell proliferation and increase the content of ERalpha."

R.B. · 10-13-2007, 04:04 AM

And in the lab alcohol pushes up aromatase expression.

RB

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...RVAbstractPlus

Ethanol stimulates proliferation, ERalpha and aromatase expression in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.
Etique N, Chardard D, Chesnel A, Merlin JL, Flament S, Grillier-Vuissoz I.

ABSTRACT

"At the same stage, RT-PCR studies demonstrate a 2.4-fold increase in aromatase mRNA level which is confirmed at the protein level by western blots performed after immuno-precipitation of the enzyme. Taken together, these results are in agreement with the involvement of ER signalling in ethanol-induced stimulation of breast cancer cell proliferation and could help to understand why alcohol consumption is associated with breast cancer risk."

Mary Jo · 10-13-2007, 07:33 AM

I stand with "Stillhere"

Cheers back at ya,

Mary Jo

Becky · 10-13-2007, 07:48 AM

Hey Vicki

I owe you a letter but thought I'd reply to this. Remember when we were in Atlanta together and met that oncologist from Meridian, Mississippi? I think we had just come back from a presentation on bc and alcohol (or maybe we were just thinking of consuming some alcohol!!??) Anyway, he told us to make sure we consumed 1000mg of folic acid if we were going to have more than 2 alcoholic drinks and that he did.

There are studies on this. I really don't think alcohol is a big deal unless you really go for it every day (3+ per day). Most weekdays, I don't drink because I get too tired to run, cook,clean up etc - even one glass of wine will do it. But on Friday - Sunday, my mood and metabolism are running high and Pete and I will split a bottle of wine. If we go out to dinner, we will have a cocktail AND split a bottle of wine. I will also have 2 glasses of wine on a Friday and Sunday night too. I figure, I eat right, exercise, take my supplements - I went through 2 years of treatment to live - and I'm not supposed to enjoy whatever time God has decided I am supposed to be here for? If I did everything bad, I might be more concerned but if I did everything bad, I wouldn't care either (nor would you). You take super care of yourself and are vigiliant as I am and most of us on the board. Have your drinks when you want to. Just eat your greens too (rich in folate!!)

Love you Vicki. I will privately write soon.

hutchibk · 10-13-2007, 04:20 PM

Oh yeah, Sheila - thanks for reminding me, I also usually have a mojito at least once a month, too. Suddenly Half Beer Brenda is sounding more like Have another one Brenda... LOL

Mary Jo · 10-13-2007, 04:30 PM

Hahahahahahahahaha Brenda (or should I say "have one more Brenda) - that made me laugh.

Mary Jo

dberg · 10-14-2007, 04:01 PM

I spent the better part of my 20s, 30s and 40s taking really good care of myself. I ran marathons, watched what I ate, didn't smoke, breast fed my three kids, etc. It was a lifestyle that was easy for me to maintain and I smugly thought I was set for life. At 45 I was dx with very aggressive bc that had all sorts of nasty proliferative markers. Ironically I was training for a half marathon at the time, weighed 110 llbs, and was strong as an ox. Go figure.

I'm 3 years out now and have to admit that I drink more now than I did before my dx. And I have absolutely no intention of giving up wine or our annual trips to Napa/Sonoma. I'm not stupid though. I'm going to add folic acid to my grocery list. Right underneath the margarita salt.

janet/FL · 10-16-2007, 08:42 PM

If you are serious about taking large amounts of folic acid, you might consider that there may also be negative side effects. I had just gotten a prescription for 1 mg of folic acid when I read a study that said it could increase the risk of some kinds of cancer. As usual, darned if you do and darned if don't.

A Web MD. study on folic acid and colon cancer says--
"The take-home message from our study is people should be cautious about taking supplements to prevent diseases such as cancer because those treatments might be ineffective and could be harmful," he says."

The next report recommends 600mcgs a day if you drink.

Maybe I will just cut the 1 mg in half. :-)
Janet/FL

http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-canc...-cancer?page=2

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritio...l.html#sidebar

Kathy S in Tokyo · 10-18-2007, 09:34 PM

I've stopped worrying about the risk of getting breast cancer now that I have it and am enjoying life :-). I drink about 12 glasses of wine a year, so this is rather moderate, in my opinion. I asked my onc. about it before and he joked that my chemo was in an alcohol suspension, so that if I couldn't handle my wine, I might need help getting home from chemo if I got too drunk on my IV.

Sheila · 10-19-2007, 09:00 AM

Kathy
I'm with you....I figues all the poison that gets infused into me, a little alcohol certainly can't hurt...I just never drink any on chemo days and for about 4 days before and after...good thing I'm on the every 2 weeks plan!