HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Alcohol increases breast cancer risk by 10% and 40%

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....."

10-13-2007, 03:45 AM	#8
R.B. Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,843	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....."