Correlates of high-density mammographic parenchymal patterns by menopausal status in a rural population in Northern Greece

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) Vol. 41; no. 4; pp. 590 - 600
• Main Authors: Riza, Elena, dos Santos Silva, Isabel, De Stavola, Bianca, Perry, Nicholas, Karadedou-Zafiriadou, Efi, Linos, Dimitrios, Remoundos, Dionysios-Dennis, Linos, Athena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Anthropometric variables; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Breast cancer; Breast density; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Breast Neoplasms - epidemiology; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Greece - epidemiology; Humans; Mammographic parenchymal patterns; Mammography - methods; Medical sciences; Menopausal status; Menopause - physiology; Middle Aged; Observer Variation; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Reproductive variables; Rural Health; Tumors; Wolfe classification; Greece; Europe; Menopausal status; Breast density; Anthropometric variables; Mammographic parenchymal patterns; Reproductive variables; Breast cancer; Wolfe classification; Human; Rural environment; Pharmacology; Malignant tumor; Density; Mammary gland diseases; Reproduction; Cancerology; Classification; Mammary gland
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2004.12.014

Reproductive factors affect breast cancer risk, but less is known of their associations with mammographic density and whether these differ by menopausal status. We report on a cross-sectional study of 1946 pre- and 3047 post-menopausal women who joined a breast screening programme in Northern Greece during 1993–1997. The odds of having a high-density Wolfe pattern (P2/DY) was inversely associated with age ( P for linear trend <0.001) in both pre- and post-menopausal women and, for post-menopausal women, with years since menopause ( P < 0.001). The odds of a P2/DY pattern declined with higher parity ( P < 0.001) and younger age at first pregnancy ( P = 0.05) in both pre- and post-menopausal women. They also decreased with the duration of breast-feeding in pre-menopausal women ( P = 0.03 in pre- and P = 0.69 in post-menopausal women; test for interaction with menopausal status: P = 0.07). Age at menarche, age at menopause and the number of miscarriages/abortions were not associated with mammographic density. Age at first pregnancy and parity were strong correlates of mammographic density in pre- and post-menopausal women while duration of breast-feeding appeared to be particularly important in pre-menopausal women.