Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk among women from five ethnic groups with light to moderate intakes: The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Abstract

Higher alcohol consumption, even at moderate levels, has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in epidemiological studies. However, prior studies were conducted in mostly white populations. To assess the relationship of alcohol consumption to postmenopausal breast cancer risk in a multiethnic population of largely never, light, or moderate drinkers, we prospectively examined the association in 85,089 women enrolled in the Multiethnic Cohort in Hawaii and California. During a mean follow-up of 12.4 years, 3,885 incident invasive breast cancer cases were identified. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazard models, controlling for potential confounders. Higher alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of breast cancer: compared to nondrinkers, HRs were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.06-1.42), 1.21 (95% CI: 1.00-1.45), 1.12 (95% CI: 0.95-1.31), and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.32-1.77) for 5-9.9, 10-14.9, 15-29.9, and ≥30 g/day of alcohol, respectively. The positive association was seen in African American, Japanese American, Latino, and white, but not Native Hawaiian, women, and in those with tumors that were both positive and negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER/PR). This prospective study supports previous findings that light to moderate alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk, demonstrates this association in several ethnic groups besides whites, independent of ER/PR status.

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Breast Cancer by Tumor Receptor Expression

“…Our earlier study of 7,690 cases diagnosed 1980–2008 in the NHS also observed positive associations among ER+/PR+ and ER+/PR− breast cancer but not among ER−/PR− tumors, although this difference was not statistically significant [2]. However, two recent prospective studies found that the alcohol and breast cancer association appeared independent of ER and PR status [3,40]. Consistent with most of the previous studies, we found that the alcohol and breast cancer association varied suggestively by ER status when ER was considered individually or simultaneously with other tumor markers, although the differences were not statistically significant.…”

“…Alcohol consumption, even low to moderate intake, is a consistent risk factor for breast cancer in epidemiologic studies, with approximately 10–20% increase in risk for three to six drinks per week compared to non-drinkers [1–3]. In prospective cohort studies, similar or stronger positive associations compared to all breast cancer cases combined has been reported for tumors expressing estrogen receptor (ER) or both ER and progesterone receptor (PR) [4–6,2].…”

Alcohol Intake and Breast Cancer Risk in African American Women from the AMBER Consortium

“…Although alcohol is an established risk factor for breast cancer, most studies have been conducted in predominantly white populations (1–9). African Americans report less alcohol intake than whites for a variety of reasons including religious beliefs and prevalence of comorbid conditions, such as type 2 diabetes or hypertension (10–18).…”

Cigarette Smoking and Breast Cancer Risk in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women: The Breast Cancer Health Disparities Study

“…47 Previous studies have shown that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for breast cancer, and several have included Hispanic women. [20][21][22]48,49 We previously reported a modest nonsignificant increase in breast cancer risk among Mexican women who were ever drinkers (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.99-1.58). 21 In the present analyses, adjustment for alcohol changed the point b Models are adjusted for age, study, history of alcohol consumption, menopausal status, parity, education, family history of breast cancer, and BMI at referent year; study is only included when modeling U.S. Hispanic/NA women; the referent group for all models is ''never smoked.''…”