increased risk of breast cancer in daughters of older fathers

Lani · 03-01-2011, 12:41 PM

Mech Ageing Dev. 2011 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]
Leukocyte Telomere Length, Breast Cancer Risk in the Offspring: The Relations with Father's Age at Birth.
Arbeev KG, Hunt SC, Kimura M, Aviv A, Yashin AI.

Center for Population Health and Aging, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0408, USA.
Abstract
Recent studies have reported that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is longer in offspring of older fathers. Longer telomeres might increase cancer risk. We examined the relation of father's age at the birth of the offspring (FAB) with LTL in the offspring in 2177 participants of the Family Heart Study and the probability of developing breast cancer in 1405 women from the Framingham Heart Study (offspring cohort). For each year of increase in FAB (adjusted for mother's age at birth), LTLs in the daughters and sons were longer by 19.4bp and 12.2bp, respectively (p<0.0001). Daughters of older fathers were less likely to stay free of breast cancer compared to daughters of younger fathers in empirical (p=0.014) and Cox regression analyses (p=0.0012) adjusted for relevant covariates. We conclude that older fathers endow their offspring with a longer LTL and their daughters with increased susceptibility to breast cancer. These independent observations cannot provide evidence for a causal relationship, mediated by telomere length, between FAB and increased breast cancer risk in daughters. However, with couples delaying having children in today's society, studies exploring the LTL association with increased breast cancer risk in daughters of older fathers might be timely and relevant.

Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
PMID: 21354438 [

Soccermom · 03-01-2011, 07:32 PM

Great,just great

My Dad was 41 and my daughters Dad was 49...

Jackie07 · 03-01-2011, 07:57 PM

O-Oh, my oldest niece will have to watch out. My Brother-in-law was 48 (my Sister was 31) and my Dad was 45 (Mother was 37).

Hopeful · 03-02-2011, 08:13 AM

Lani,

Does the article define the term "older"?

Hopeful

hutchibk · 03-02-2011, 05:10 PM

Exactly, what is considered "older"? My dad was 38, and I have always thought he was older than most, so I find this interesting.

'lizbeth · 03-02-2011, 10:22 PM

My dad was 48, mom 37

StephN · 03-02-2011, 10:32 PM

Does not work for me - I was the first born - Dad was about 25-26.

I don't seem to have really any of the risk factors - even the new ones they come up with.

PinkGirl · 03-03-2011, 09:39 AM

Geez ... I thought I got it because of my mom's wide hips ...

duga35 · 03-03-2011, 10:47 AM

I was 29 when my daughter was born. But, as soon as I was diagnosed they told me that when a father has mbc that the chances for the daughter getting it is tenfold and that she will have to start having mammograms and being watched at about 20 years old. I think that throughout all of this that is what bothered me the most. I pray that she doesn't have to go thru this.

Lani · 03-03-2011, 12:17 PM

It was a continuous variable--for every one year the father was older, the bc risk increased correspondingly It seemed to have a relation to telomere length

Soccermom · 03-03-2011, 07:25 PM

Duga,
I am so happy to hear that you were told about the increase in risk for your daughter. Sadly there are still medical practitioners that DO NOT make a point of sending MBC's to a Certified Genetics Counselor to better understand their risks and the risk for their offspring.
I too am sorry that you have this additional burden to worry about BUT am glad that your daughter will have this lifesaving information from the get-go,
Warmly,
Marcia

adelay · 03-03-2011, 07:31 PM

My dad was 48 when I was born...very interesting.

Becky · 03-03-2011, 08:02 PM

Not me, my dad just turned 25 when I was born

flynny · 03-05-2011, 08:12 PM

my dad was 24, but was dx with Stage IV Melanoma when my mother was 3 months pregant with me. Not sure where I fit into a box. He died at 31 and 11 months. I was 34 when I was dx.

caya · 03-06-2011, 08:39 PM

My Mom was 19 and my Dad was 26 when I was born - so I doubt this would apply to me.
However, a study was released recently showing an increased risk from second hand smoke - my father was a chain smoker.

all the best
caya

Jackie07 · 03-06-2011, 08:50 PM

My dad is also a smoker. He had 'gradually' reduced the number of cigarettes to just 4 per day and has kept that number for the past 20 years. He's 96 - obviously has not been affected by his own smoking habit. But Mother, 2nd Brother and I all have had cancer diagnosis.

caya · 03-06-2011, 09:03 PM

Jackie, my darling father had a heart attack at 59 and died 3 weeks later. His father died of a heart attack at 54, so obviously there was major family history there, but the drs. told us that the smoking narrowed his ateries which greatly contributed to the heart attack.

I'm the only one in my immediate family with a cancer diagnosis.

all the best
caya

VirginiaGirl · 03-07-2011, 04:02 AM

My dad was 37 when I was born (i'm an identical twin, sister & 3 other sibs have no bc but dad died of stomach cancer). But my husband - and father of my daughter - is 13 years older than me. He was 45 when she was born. Great!! another risk factor for her! Sigh...