No Link Between Herpes Zoster and Breast Cancer in a Large German Study
Author Information
Author(s): Krishnan Vedanth D., Gremke Niklas, Hajek André, Kostev Karel, Kalder Matthias
Primary Institution: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital, Philipps-University Marburg
Hypothesis
Is there an association between Herpes Zoster and the subsequent diagnosis of breast cancer?
Conclusion
The study found no significant association between Herpes Zoster infection and the development of breast cancer over a 10-year follow-up period.
Supporting Evidence
- The study included 128,510 participants, making it the largest of its kind.
- Women with HZ had a slightly higher incidence of breast cancer, but the difference was not statistically significant.
- Statistical analyses included Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression models.
Takeaway
This study looked at a lot of women to see if having chickenpox later in life could lead to breast cancer, but it found no connection.
Methodology
The study used a retrospective cohort design, analyzing anonymized medical records from the Disease Analyzer database, comparing women with and without Herpes Zoster.
Potential Biases
Potential performance bias due to different treatment protocols for HZ patients and non-HZ patients.
Limitations
The study is retrospective and may be subject to biases regarding treatment quality and data completeness.
Participant Demographics
Female patients aged 18 years and above, with a mean age of 59.8 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.281
Confidence Interval
0.96–1.15
Statistical Significance
p=0.281
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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