Stressful Life Events and Risk of Breast Cancer in 10,808 Women: A Cohort Study

Abstract

The authors prospectively investigated the relation between stressful life events and risk of breast cancer among 10,808 women from the Finnish Twin Cohort. Life events and breast cancer risk factors were assessed by self-administered questionnaire in 1981. A national modification of a standardized life event inventory was used, examining accumulation of life events and individual life events and placing emphasis on the 5 years preceding completion of the questionnaire. Through record linkage with the Finnish Cancer Registry, 180 incident cases of breast cancer were identified in the cohort between 1982 and 1996. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratio for breast cancer per one-event increase in the total number of life events was 1.07 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.00, 1.15). This risk estimate rose to 1.35 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.67) when only major life events were taken into account. Independently of total life events, divorce/separation (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.25, 4.07), death of a husband (HR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.88), and death of a close relative or friend (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.86) were all associated with increased risk of breast cancer. The findings suggest a role for life events in breast cancer etiology through hormonal or other mechanisms.

No evidence that social stress is associated with breast cancer incidence

“…Our results are at variance with the only other prospective cohort study to evaluate the association between stressful life events and subsequent breast cancer risk [24]. This study, of 10,808 women in Finland, based upon 180 cancer cases identified during 15 years of follow-up, concluded that life events were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer-findings that were interpreted as suggesting a role for life events in breast cancer aetiology through hormonal or other mechanisms [24].…”

“…This study, of 10,808 women in Finland, based upon 180 cancer cases identified during 15 years of follow-up, concluded that life events were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer-findings that were interpreted as suggesting a role for life events in breast cancer aetiology through hormonal or other mechanisms [24]. However, our finding of no association, based upon increased breast cancer endpoint availability, is in agreement with other studies of specific life events (e.g.…”

Association between stress and breast cancer in women: a meta-analysis

“…We thus analyzed the cohort studies based on 19 items (1,2,3,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,16,17,18,20,21,22,25,26,27) and the case-control studies based on 17 items (1,2,3,5,6,7,10,11,12,16,17,18,20,21,22,25,27). Items 9 and 26 were not used in the evaluation of case-control studies since they contain questions that do not apply to this type of study.…”

“…A positive association between stress and breast cancer was observed in cohort studies 8,9 and some case-control studies 9,10,11,12,13,14,15 , while other case-control studies do not indicate evidence of such an association 16,17 .…”

Expression Profiles of Loneliness-associated Genes for Survival Prediction in Cancer Patients

“…Lillberg et al, indicated that a twofold increase in breast cancer risk owing to disruption of marriage, e.g. divorce, separation or death of a spouse, by epidemiological data of 10808 women (Lillberg et al, 2003). Holwerda et al, found that mortality hazard ratio for feeling of loneliness was 1.3 in men, 1.04 in women with a 10-year follow-up of 4,004 older persons (Holwerda et al, 2012).…”