Affiliations 

  • 1 Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. k.tikk@dkfz.de
  • 2 Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. d.sookthai@dkfz-heidelberg.de
  • 3 Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. r.fortner@dkfz-heidelberg.de
  • 4 Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. t.johnson@dkfz-heidelberg.de
  • 5 Section of Nutrition and Metabolism, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France. RinaldiS@iarc.fr
  • 6 Section of Nutrition and Metabolism, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France. romieui@iarc.fr
  • 7 Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark. annet@cancer.dk
  • 8 Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark. anja@cancer.dk
  • 9 Section for Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. ko@soci.au.dk
  • 10 INSERM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health [CESP], U1018, Nutrition, Hormones and Women's Health team, F-94805, Villejuif, France. francoise.clavel@igr.fr
  • 11 Cancer Epidemiology Centre, Cancer Council Victoria, 3053, Melbourne, Australia. Laura.Baglietto@cancervic.org.au
  • 12 Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Nuthetal, Germany. boeing@dife.de
  • 13 Hellenic Health Foundation, 13 Kaisareias Street, GR-115 27, Athens, Greece. atrichopoulou@hhf-greece.gr
  • 14 Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Athens Medical School, 75 M. Asias Street, Goudi, GR-115 27, Athens, Greece. pdlagiou@med.uoa.gr
  • 15 Hellenic Health Foundation, 13 Kaisareias Street, GR-115 27, Athens, Greece. dtrichop@hsph.harvard.edu
  • 16 Molecular and Nutritional Epidemiology Unit, Cancer Research and Prevention Institute - ISPO, Florence, Italy. g.masala@ispo.toscana.it
  • 17 Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Via Venezian 1, Milano, Italy. vittorio.krogh@istitutotumori.mi.it
  • 18 Cancer Registry and Histopathology Unit, "Civic - M.P.Arezzo" Hospital ASP, Ragusa, Italy. rtumino@tin.it
  • 19 Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, AO Citta' della Salute e della Scienza, University of Turin, Torino, Italy. fulvio.ricceri@gmail.com
  • 20 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Federico II University, Naples, Italy. amattiel@unina.it
  • 21 Unit of Nutrition, Environment and Cancer, Catalan Institute of Oncology-ICO, IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, 08908, Spain. a.agudo@iconcologia.net
  • 22 Public Health Directorate, Asturias, Spain. virginia.menendezgarcia@asturias.org
  • 23 Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública, Instituto de Investigación Biosanitario de Granada (Granada.ibs), Hospitales Universitarios de Granada/Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. mariajose.sanchez.easp@juntadeandalucia.es
  • 24 Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, BioDonostia Reserach Institute, San Sebastian, Spain. epicss-san@ej-gv.es
  • 25 Department of Epidemiology, Murcia Regional Health Authority, Murcia, Spain. mdolores.chirlaque@carm.es
  • 26 Navarre Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain. abarricg@cfnavarra.es
  • 27 Department for Determinants of Chronic Diseases (DCD), National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands. abarricg@cfnavarra.es
  • 28 Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. E.Monninkhof@umcutrecht.nl
  • 29 Department of Epidemiology, Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. N.C.Onland@umcutrecht.nl
  • 30 Department of Radiation Sciences, University of Umeå, Umeå, Sweden. anne.andersson@onkologi.umu.se
  • 31 Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. malin.sund@surgery.umu.se
  • 32 Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. Elisabete.Weiderpass.Vainio@ki.se
  • 33 School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. kk101@medschl.cam.ac.uk
  • 34 Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. tim.key@ceu.ox.ac.uk
  • 35 Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. ruth.travis@ceu.ox.ac.uk
  • 36 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK. m.merritt@imperial.ac.uk
  • 37 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK. e.riboli@imperial.ac.uk
  • 38 INSERM, Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health [CESP], U1018, Nutrition, Hormones and Women's Health team, F-94805, Villejuif, France. laure.dossus@lyon.unicancer.fr
  • 39 Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. r.kaaks@dkfz.de
Breast Cancer Res, 2015 Mar 31;17:49.
PMID: 25887963 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-015-0563-6

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between circulating prolactin and invasive breast cancer has been investigated previously, but the association between prolactin levels and in situ breast cancer risk has received less attention.

METHODS: We analysed the relationship between pre-diagnostic prolactin levels and the risk of in situ breast cancer overall, and by menopausal status and use of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) at blood donation. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess this association in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, including 307 in situ breast cancer cases and their matched control subjects.

RESULTS: We found a significant positive association between higher circulating prolactin levels and risk of in situ breast cancer among all women [pre-and postmenopausal combined, ORlog2=1.35 (95% CI 1.04-1.76), Ptrend=0.03]. No statistically significant heterogeneity was found between prolactin levels and in situ cancer risk by menopausal status (Phet=0.98) or baseline HT use (Phet=0.20), although the observed association was more pronounced among postmenopausal women using HT compared to non-users (Ptrend=0.06 vs Ptrend=0.35). In subgroup analyses, the observed positive association was strongest in women diagnosed with in situ breast tumors<4 years compared to ≥4 years after blood donation (Ptrend=0.01 vs Ptrend=0.63; Phet=0.04) and among nulliparous women compared to parous women (Ptrend=0.03 vs Ptrend=0.15; Phet=0.07).

CONCLUSIONS: Our data extends prior research linking prolactin and invasive breast cancer to the outcome of in situ breast tumours and shows that higher circulating prolactin is associated with increased risk of in situ breast cancer.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.