Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Among Chinese Women: A 10-Year Nationwide Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology 2014-01, Vol.24 (1), p.67-76
• Main Authors: Lee, Hui, Li, Jia-Yuan, Fan, Jin-Hu, Li, Jing, Huang, Rong, Zhang, Bao-Ning, Zhang, Bin, Yang, Hong-Jian, Xie, Xiao-Ming, Tang, Zhong-Hua, Li, Hui, He, Jian-Jun, Wang, Qiong, Huang, Yuan, Qiao, You-Lin, Pang, Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Breast cancer; Cancer; Epidemiology; Lifestyles; Original; Risk factors; Studies
• ISSN: 0917-5040; 1349-9092
• DOI: 10.2188/jea.JE20120217

Background: The characteristics of established risk factors for breast cancer may vary among countries. A better understanding of local characteristics of risk factors may help in devising effective prevention strategies for breast cancer. Methods: Information on exposures to risk factors was collected from the medical charts of 4211 women with breast cancer diagnosed during 1999-2008. The distributions of these exposures among regions, and by menopausal status and birth period, were compared with the χ2 test. Crude associations between the selected factors and breast cancer were estimated using the cases in the present study and a representative control population, which was selected from qualified published studies. Results: As compared with cases from less developed regions, those from more developed regions were significantly more likely to be nulliparous, had fewer childbirths (P < 0.05), and were less likely to have breastfed (P = 0.08). As compared with premenopausal cases, postmenopausal cases were more likely to be overweight and to have breastfed and had more childbirths (P < 0.05). The number of live births and rate of breastfeeding decreased in relation to birth period (P for trends