Alcohol consumption and breast cancer oestrogen and progesterone receptor status

We examined the role of alcohol on the risk of breast cancer by the joint o estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status or the tumour using data from two case-control studies conducted in Los Angeles County, U SA. Eligible premenopausal patients were 733 women aged less than or equal to 40 years and first diagnosed from 1 July 1983 to 1 January 1989. Eligibl e postmenopausal patients were 1169 women aged 55-64 years and first diagno sed from 1 March 1987 to 31 December 89. Patients were identified by the Un iversity of Southern California Cancer Surveillance Program. Neighbourhood controls were individually matched to patients by parity (premenopausal pat ients) and birth date (+/- 3 years). ER and PR status were obtained from me dical records for 424 premenopausal and 760 postmenopausal patients. The an alyses included 714 premenopausal and 1091 postmenopausal control subjects. Alcohol use was generally not associated with premenopausal risk of breast cancer, regardless of hormone-receptor status. Among the postmenopausal wo men, those who consumed, on average, greater than or equal to 27 g of alcoh ol/d experienced an odds ratio (OR) of 1.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1 .14-2.71] for ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer relative to women who r eported no alcohol consumption. Alcohol use was less clearly associated wit h risk of other receptor types among postmenopausal women. These data sugge st that alcohol may preferentially increase risk of ER-positive/PR-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.