The associations of adolescent cigarette smoking, alcoholic beverage consumption, environmental tobacco smoke, and ionizing radiation with subsequentbreast cancer risk (United States)

Objectives: Studies of breast cancer among survivors of the World War II at omic bomb blasts over Japan suggest that the adolescent breast may be parti cularly sensitive to carcinogenic insult. To further explore that possibili ty we examined the relationships of cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, and medical treatment with ion izing radiation during adolescence with subsequent breast cancer risk. Methods: Data from the Carolina Breast Cancer Study, a population-based, ca se-control study of breast cancer in North Carolina women aged 20-74 years (864 cases, 790 controls), were analyzed. Results: A modest increase in breast cancer risk was suggested for women wh o began to smoke cigarettes between the ages of 10 and 14 years (OR: 1.5, C I: 0.9-2.5), and for women exposed to ionizing radiation between ages 10 an d 19 years to treat or monitor a medical condition (OR: 1.6, CI: 0.5-2.5). Neither exposure to ETS at home prior to age 18 years (OR: 1.1, CI: 0.9-1.3 ) nor initiation of alcoholic beverage consumption between ages 10 and 15 y ears (OR: 1.1, CI: 0.6-1.8) appeared to increase risk. Conclusions: Our results are consistent with previous evidence suggesting t hat some adolescent exposures could influence future breast cancer risk.