july 2012

Quantifying Mediating Effects of Endogenous Estrogen and Insulin in the Relation between Obesity, Alcohol Consumption, and Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND: Increased exposure to endogenous estrogen and/or insulin may partly explain the relationship of obesity, physical inactivity, and alcohol consumption and postmenopausal breast cancer. However, these potential mediating effects have not been formally quantified in a survival analysis setting. METHODS: We combined data from two case-cohort studies based in the Women's Health Initiative-Observational Study with serum estradiol levels, one of which also had insulin levels. A total of 1,601 women (601 cases) aged 50 to 79 years who were not using hormone therapy at enrollment were included. Mediating effects were estimated by applying a new method based on the additive hazard model. RESULTS: A five-unit increase in body mass index (BMI) was associated with 50.0 [95% confidence interval (CI), 23.2-76.6] extra cases per 100,000 women at-risk per year. Of these, 23.8% (95% CI, 2.9-68.4) could be attributed to estradiol and 65.8% (95% CI, 13.6-273.3) through insulin pathways. The mediating effect of estradiol was greater (48.8%; 95% CI, 18.8-161.1) for BMI when restricted to estrogen receptor positive (ER(+)) cases. Consuming 7+ drinks/wk compared with abstinence was associated with 164.9 (95% CI, 45.8-284.9) breast cancer cases per 100,000, but no significant contribution from estradiol was found. The effect of alcohol on breast cancer was restricted to ER(+) breast cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The relation of BMI with breast cancer was partly mediated through estradiol and, to a greater extent, through insulin. Impact: The findings provide support for evaluation of interventions to lower insulin and estrogen levels in overweight and obese postmenopausal women to reduce breast cancer risk.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(7); 1203-12. (c)2012 AACR

Additional Info

  • Authors

    Hvidtfeldt U.A.; Gunter M.J.; Lange T.; Chlebowski R.T.; Lane D.; Farhat G.N.; Freiberg M.S.; Keiding N.; Lee J.S.; Prentice R.; Tjonneland A.; Vitolins M.Z.; Wassertheil-Smoller S.; Strickler H.D.; Rod N.H.
  • Issue

    Cancer Epidemiol.Biomarkers Prev. / pages 1203-1212 / volume 21
  • Published Date

    july 2012