LIFETIME ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION AND BREAST-CANCER RISK AMONG POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN LOS-ANGELES

Although most data support an overall relation of alcohol consumption with risk of breast cancer, the timing of alcohol consumption as it re lates to risk of breast cancer is still debatable, The authors examine d this issue in a case-control study conducted among non-Hispanic whit e and Hispanic women in Los Angeles, Cases aged 55-64 years at diagnos is in 1987-1989 were enrolled through the Cancer Surveillance Program of Los Angeles County (a Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results P rogram registry), Community controls were individually matched to case s by age (+/- 3 years), ethnicity, and neighborhood, In-person intervi ews were completed with 1510 matched pairs, of which 1431 met the incl usion criteria for the present analysis, In a multivariate conditional logistic regression model that simultaneously included terms for alco hol consumption at age 25 years, age 40 years, and in the recent past, clear differences among the age-specific associations were not observ ed, and the results suggested that intake at each time independently c ontributed to risk, The odds ratios associated with estimated average lifetime intake were: for <6 g/day, 1.01; for 6-11 g/day, 1.21; for 12 -18 g/day, 0.94; for 19-32 g/day, 1.63; for 33-45 g/day, 2.45 and for greater than or equal to 46 g/day, 0.94 compared with abstainers (P fo r trend = 0.01), Use of estrogen replacement therapy did not modify th e risk associated with alcohol consumption, in contrast with the findi ngs in two previous studies, This large study supports a relation betw een risk of breast cancer and alcohol consumption and suggests that li fetime intake may be the best indicator of alcohol-associated risk.