Stressful life events and difficulties and onset of breast cancer: case-control study

Objective To determine the relation between stressful life events and diffi culties and the onset of breast cancer. Design Case-control study. Setting 3 NHS breast clinics serving west Leeds. Participants 399 consecutive women, aged 40-79, attending the breast clinic s who were Leeds residents. Main outcome measures Odds ratios of the risk of developing breast cancer a fter experiencing one or more severe life events, severe difficulties, seve re 2 year non-personal health difficulties, or severe 2 year personal healt h difficulties in the 5 years before clinical presentation. Results 332 (83%) women participated. Women diagnosed with breast cancer we re no more likely to have experienced one or more severe life events (adjus ted odds ratio 0.91, 95% confidence interval 0.47 to 1.81; P = 0.79); one o r more severe difficulties (0.86, 0.41 to 1.81; P = 0.69); a 2 year severe non-personal health difficulty (0.53, 0.12 to 2.31; P = 0.4); or a 2 year s evere personal health difficulty (2.73, 0.68 to 10.93; P = 0.16) than women diagnosed with a benign breast lump. Conclusion These findings do not support the hypothesis that severe life ev ents or difficulties are associated with onset of breast cancer.