Biomedical subjects

Dawn M Grabrick

Publications and source records attributed to Dawn M Grabrick.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Interaction of adolescent anthropometric characteristics and family history on breast cancer risk in a Historical Cohort Study of 426 families (USA).

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the association of adolescent anthropometric characteristics with breast cancer is modified by a family history of the disease. METHODS: These interactions were evaluated in a historical cohort of 426 families of breast cancer probands diagnosed between 1944 and 1952 at the University of Minnesota. The occurrence of breast cancer and the measurement of risk factors in sisters, daughters, granddaughters, nieces and marry-ins was determined through telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires conducted from 1991-1996. Cox proportional hazards regression, accounting for age, birth cohort, adult body mass index (BMI), and clustering within families, was used to estimate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of breast cancer. RESULTS: Among 4632 women from 426 families available for analysis, there were 175 breast cancers. There was a strong interaction between degree of relationship to proband and relative weight at age 12 on breast cancer risk ( p < 0.001). Among sisters and daughters of the probands, risk of breast cancer was slightly increased in those with below average weight at age 12 (RR = 1.55; 95% CI = 0.66-3.64), and strongly increased in those with above average weight (RR = 4.25; 95% CI = 1.71-10.5), compared to those with average weight. In contrast, among marry-ins, there was a weak positive association for those with below average weight at age 12 (RR = 1.61; 95% CI = 0.91-2.83), while there was an inverse association for above average weight (RR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.26-2.16), compared to those with average weight. There were no significant interactions between degree of relationship to proband and height ( p = 0.55), weight at age 18 ( p = 0.22) and BMI at age 18 ( p = 0.63) on breast cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Family history appears to modify the effect of obesity in early adolescence on subsequent breast cancer risk, and may identify differing etiologic pathways.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Does folate intake decrease risk of postmenopausal breast cancer among women with a family history?

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies suggest that adequate dietary folate may attenuate the risk of breast cancer associated with intake of alcohol. We examined whether the putative benefit extends to women with a family history (FH) of breast cancer using a cohort of 33,552 postmenopausal women aged 55-69 years in 1986. METHOD: Folate and alcohol intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire completed at baseline. Folate was categorized as upper 50th, 31st-50th, 11th-30th, and <10th percentiles. Alcohol use was initially classified into three levels; never drinkers, less than the median and greater than the median. Subsequent models collapsed levels of intake to any versus none. Occurrence of breast cancer was determined through linkage to the Iowa SEER registry. Multivariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated through Cox proportional hazards regression, stratified on FH using non-drinkers with high folate and no FH as the referent group. RESULTS: Through 14 years, 1823 incident cases were identified, 308 among FH+ women. Among FH- women, low folate was not a risk factor among non-drinkers (RR = 0.96, CI = 0.73-1.26), but was among drinkers (RR = 1.40, CI = 1.05-1.86). Drinkers with high folate were not at elevated risk (RR = 1.03, CI = 0.89-1.19). Among FH+ women, low folate was a risk factor among drinkers (RR = 2.21, CI = 1.43-3.41) and non-drinkers (RR = 2.39, CI = 1.36-4.20). Further, drinkers with high folate remained at increased risk (RR = 1.67, CI= 1.30-2.14). However, FH+ women with high folate who did not drink alcohol had no elevated risk. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that folate may attenuate the risks of postmenopausal breast cancer associated with family history, but only if alcohol use is avoided or minimized.

Aged↗

PubMed2003

Evaluation of familial clustering of breast and prostate cancer in the Minnesota Breast Cancer Family Study.

Few studies examining familial clustering of breast and prostate cancer (PC) have focused on a clearly defined high-risk population with epidemiologic risk factors. We conducted a cohort study of prostate cancer among a subset of 426 families ascertained through female breast cancer probands. Three groups of males were included: 804 relatives in 60 families with four or more breast or ovarian cancers, 536 marry-ins in these high-risk families, and 484 relatives in 81 families where only the proband had breast cancer. A total of 118 prostate cancers were reported. The rate of prostate cancer among blood relatives in high-risk families was significantly lower than among marry-ins (RR = 0.6, 95% C.I.: 0.4-0.9). The rate of prostate cancer among blood relatives in low-risk families was not significantly different from the rate among marry-ins (RR = 0.8, 95% C.I.: 0.5-1.2). These results provide little evidence that male relatives in high-risk breast cancer families are at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Association of correlates of endogenous hormonal exposure with breast cancer risk in 426 families (United States).

OBJECTIVE: Women with a strong family history of breast cancer are at significantly increased risk of developing the disease. There is emerging evidence that certain reproductive factors may further elevate risk in these women. We examined whether a family history of breast cancer modifies the association between correlates of endogenous hormonal exposures and breast cancer in a study of 426 families ascertained through breast cancer probands. METHODS: Analyses of reproductive factors and breast cancer were performed on 395 sisters and daughters of probands, 3014 nieces and granddaughters. and 2768 marry-ins. RESULTS: Through 226,266 person-years of follow-up since 1952, 240 women developed breast cancer. No statistically significant interactions were observed between relationship to proband and age at menarche, age at menopause, other characteristics of the menstrual cycle, parity, age at first and last birth, infertility, and total ovulatory years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that most reproductive factors influence breast cancer risk similarly in women with and without a family history of breast cancer. Further studies are needed on individuals who are more homogeneous with regard to hereditary background. However, other options for prevention, such as prophylactic surgery or chemoprevention, may be necessary to have a substantial impact on risk reduction in women at high genetic risk.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

High-folate diets and breast cancer survival in a prospective cohort study.

Recent evidence suggests that adequate dietary folate may attenuate the risk of breast cancer associated with intake of alcohol. However, patients with breast cancer have been commonly treated with antifolate chemotherapies. The present analysis was performed to test the hypothesis that high folate intake may diminish the effectiveness of chemotherapy and, therefore, adversely influence survival. Women at risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (n = 37,105) participated in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Total folate intake (diet + supplements) was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline in 1986 and categorized into tertiles. From all incident breast cancer cases ascertained in the cohort, we selected those with a diagnosis between 1986 and 1994, chemotherapy as first course of treatment, and adequate diet assessment. Mortality was determined through the State Health Registry of Iowa and the National Death Index. Cox regression was used to estimate survival while adjusting for important covariates. Through 14 yr of follow-up, 80 deaths occurred among the 177 breast cancer cases treated with chemotherapy. Among these patients, high folate intake was not associated with worse survival. After adjustment for age, extent of disease, total calories, alcohol, and estrogen receptor status, women with total folate intake in the highest tertile had a mortality risk ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval = 0.44-1.76) compared with cases in the lowest tertile of folate. These findings, although preliminary, afford some reassurance that folate supplementation is unlikely to have a significant adverse effect on survival after chemotherapy for breast cancer.

Aged↗