Breast Cancer Risk and Mammographic Density Study
Author Information
Author(s): Rulla M Tamimi, David Cox, Peter Kraft, Graham A Colditz, Susan E Hankinson, David J Hunter
Primary Institution: Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Hypothesis
Breast cancer susceptibility loci may be associated with mammographic density.
Conclusion
Overall, breast cancer susceptibility loci identified through a genome-wide association study do not appear to be associated with breast cancer risk.
Supporting Evidence
- No overall association was found between the 11 breast cancer susceptibility loci and mammographic density.
- Three SNPs were marginally associated with mammographic density in premenopausal women.
- The study included a large sample size of 1121 women.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether certain genes linked to breast cancer also affect breast density, but found no strong connection.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study using generalised linear models to assess the relationship between SNPs and mammographic density.
Limitations
The number of premenopausal women with density measurements was relatively small, which may affect the findings.
Participant Demographics
The mean age of participants was 58.4 years, with 19.4% premenopausal and 80.6% postmenopausal women.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < 0.10 for three SNPs in premenopausal women
Statistical Significance
p<0.10
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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