Breast-feeding and Breast Cancer Risk
Author Information
Author(s): A. Ekbom, C.-C. Hsieh, D. Trichopoulos, Y.-Y. Yen, E. Petridou, H.-O. Adamil
Primary Institution: Uppsala University Hospital
Hypothesis
Could a virus transmitted through breast milk increase the risk of breast cancer in humans?
Conclusion
Breast-feeding does not significantly increase the risk of breast cancer in offspring.
Supporting Evidence
- 407 out of 458 breast cancer cases were exclusively breastfed.
- 88.9% of breast cancer cases were breastfed compared to 88.1% of controls.
- The relative risk of breast cancer for those not breastfed was 0.97.
Takeaway
This study looked at whether breast-feeding could cause breast cancer in kids. It found that breast-feeding doesn't seem to make a difference.
Methodology
A nested case-control study linked hospital records of women born between 1874 and 1954 with breast cancer cases identified from 1958 to 1990.
Potential Biases
Selection bias and differential information bias are unlikely due to the study design.
Limitations
The study lacked information on breast cancer status among the mothers of cases and controls.
Participant Demographics
Women born at Uppsala University Hospital from 1874 to 1954.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.95
Confidence Interval
0.44-2.17
Statistical Significance
p=0.95
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website