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Comparative Study
. 2021 Oct;125(8):1168-1176.
doi: 10.1038/s41416-021-01492-w. Epub 2021 Sep 6.

Trajectories of alcohol consumption during life and the risk of developing breast cancer

Carolina Donat-Vargas  1   2   3 , Ángel Guerrero-Zotano  4 , Ana Casas  5 , José Manuel Baena-Cañada  6   7 , Virginia Lope  8   9 , Silvia Antolín  10 , José Ángel Garcia-Saénz  11 , Begoña Bermejo  12 , Montserrat Muñoz  13   14 , Manuel Ramos  15 , Ana de Juan  16 , Carlos Jara Sánchez  17 , Pedro Sánchez-Rovira  18 , Antonio Antón  19 , Joan Brunet  20   21 , Joaquín Gavilá  4 , Javier Salvador  5 , Esperanza Arriola Arellano  6 , Susana Bezares  22 , Nerea Fernández de Larrea-Baz  2   8   9 , Beatriz Pérez-Gómez  8   9 , Miguel Martín  23   24 , Marina Pollán  25   26   27
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Trajectories of alcohol consumption during life and the risk of developing breast cancer

Carolina Donat-Vargas et al. Br J Cancer. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Whether there are lifetime points of greater sensitivity to the deleterious effects of alcohol intake on the breasts remains inconclusive.

Objective: To compare the influence of distinctive trajectories of alcohol consumption throughout a woman's life on development of breast cancer (BC).

Methods: 1278 confirmed invasive BC cases and matched (by age and residence) controls from the Epi-GEICAM study (Spain) were used. The novel group-based trajectory modelling was used to identify different alcohol consumption trajectories throughout women's lifetime.

Results: Four alcohol trajectories were identified. The first comprised women (45%) with low alcohol consumption (<5 g/day) throughout their life. The second included those (33%) who gradually moved from a low alcohol consumption in adolescence to a moderate in adulthood (5 to <15 g/day), never having a high consumption; and oppositely, women in the third trajectory (16%) moved from moderate consumption in adolescence, to a lower consumption in adulthood. Women in the fourth (6%) moved from a moderate alcohol consumption in adolescence to the highest consumption in adulthood (≥15 g/day), never having a low alcohol consumption. Comparing with the first trajectory, the fourth doubled BC risk (OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.27, 3.77), followed by the third (OR 1.44; 0.96, 2.16) and ultimately by the second trajectory (OR 1.17; 0.86, 1.58). The magnitude of BC risk was greater in postmenopausal women, especially in those with underweight or normal weight. When alcohol consumption was independently examined at each life stage, ≥15 g/day of alcohol consumption in adolescence was strongly associated with BC risk followed by consumption in adulthood.

Conclusions: The greater the alcohol consumption accumulated throughout life, the greater the risk of BC, especially in postmenopausal women. Alcohol consumption during adolescence may particularly influence BC risk.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ángel Guerrero-Zotano has received institutional grant from Pfizer; has participated in advisory board activities with Novartis, Palex, Pfizer and Astra Zeneca; has received travel grand from Roche, Pfizer and Novartis. Manuel Ramos has received honoraria from Novartis, Roche and Pfizer. Miguel Martín has received honoraria from Roche/Genentech, Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis and Pierre-Fabre; has participated in consulting or advisory board activities with Roche/Genentech, Novartis, Pfizer, Lilly, Astra Zeneca and Taiho Pharmaceutical; has received speakers’ bureau from Lilly/ImClone, Roche/Genentech and Pierre Fabre; has contracted research fees from Roche, Novartis, and PUMA. All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. GBTM was used to identify different alcohol consumption trajectories throughout the life of those women with alcohol consumption data (categorised into low, moderate, and high according to the cut off points: <5, 5–<15 and ≥15 g/day; X axis) in each of the life stages: adolescence (12–19 yr.), young adulthood (20–29 yr.) and adulthood (≥30 yr.); Y axis.
The percentages assigned to each trajectory represent the percentage of women out of the total sample (N = 1578) following that trajectory of alcohol consumption.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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