Andrew M. Kaunitz, MD, Laila Samiian, MD reviewing Maas P et al. JAMA Oncol 2016 May 26.

According to a new model, almost one third of breast cancers among U.S. white women could be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyles.

Modifiable risk factors for breast cancer include postmenopausal obesity, menopausal estrogen-progestin therapy (EPT), and alcohol consumption. Nonmodifiable risk factors evaluated in this study include family history of breast cancer, age at menarche and menopause, parity, breast density, atypical hyperplasia, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; genetic markers associated with risk). To predict absolute risk for invasive breast cancer in U.S. white women, investigators developed a model that incorporated 92 SNPs plus epidemiologic elements (family history, anthropometric features, and menstrual, reproductive, and lifestyle factors).

When all risk factors were included, average absolute risk ranged from 4.4% to 23.5%. Overall, average cumulative risk for breast cancer by age 80 was 11.3% for a 30-year-old woman. For women at highest risk due to nonmodifiable factors, those who had low body-mass index, did not drink alcohol or smoke, and did not use menopausal hormone therapy had risks comparable to the average in the general population. The authors estimate that, among all white women in the U.S., almost one in three breast cancer cases could be prevented if modifiable risk factors were kept at the lowest possible levels.

CITATION(S):

Maas P et al. Breast cancer risk from modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors among white women in the United States. JAMA Oncol 2016 May 26; [e-pub].

JWatch