© 1995 Oxford University Press
research-article |
A Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Brazil, 1978–1987
* Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mastology Clinic, University Hospital, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
** Grupo de Pesquisa em Epidemiologia, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Department of Pathology, Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Reprint requests to: Dr M D C Guimariles, Grupo de Pesquisa em Epidemiologia, Departmento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Meidicina/UFMG. Av. Alfredo Baleno 190, 10° andar, PO Box 340, 30130–100. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Background. There are still controversies regarding the role of many risk factors assessed for breast cancer worldwide. In Brazil, it represents a major cause of death among women but yet few analytical studies have been published to date Methods. The association of selected factors with breast cancer was assessed in a case-control study of 300 women, aged 25–75 years, treated at the Federal University Hospital, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from 1978 to 1987. In all, 300 cases with diagnosed breast carcinoma were compared with 600 controls matched on age and date of diagnosis. Socioeconomic, demographic and reproductive factors were analysed.
Results. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed the following factors to be independently associated with increased risk of breast cancer: a) monthly family income (odds ratio [OR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (Cl) : 1.18–2.42); b) being a housewife (OR = 2.86, 95% Cl : 1.83–4.47; c) parity of less than six deliveries and nulliparous women (OR = 5.06, 95% CI : 3.01–8.52 and OR = 2.42, CI : 1.64–3.59, respectively); d) history of breast cancer among first degree female relatives (OR = 9.35, 95% CI : 3.22–27.14); and e) oral contraceptive use (OR = 1.81, 95% CI : 1.15–2.85). Irregular menstrual cycle (OR = 0.44, 95% CI : 0.25–0.75) was associated with breast cancer as a protective effect.
Conclusions. The study has confirmed most risk/protective factors previously demonstrated elsewhere in the world and provides clear documentation of breast cancer epidemiology in Brazil.
Received 1 August 1994
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  T. Braaten, E. Weiderpass, M. Kumle, and E. Lund Explaining the Socioeconomic Variation in Cancer Risk in the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., November 1, 2005; 14(11): 2591 - 2597. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|