A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption in relation to risk of breast cancer

M. P. Longnecker, J. A. Berlin, M. J. Orza and T. C. Chalmers
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.

Epidemiologic findings regarding the relation between alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer have been inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis (a quantitative review) of the available data. To evaluate whether there was a dose-response relation between alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer, we fitted mathematical models to the pooled data. There was strong evidence to support a dose-response relation in both the case-control and follow-up epidemiologic data. Using the dose-response curves that we calculated, the risk of breast cancer at an alcohol intake of 24 g (1 oz) of absolute alcohol daily (about two drinks daily) relative to nondrinkers was 1.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.8) in the case-control data and was 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 2.2) in the follow-up data. We interpret these findings not as proof of causality, but as strongly supportive of an association between alcohol consumption and risk of breast cancer.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Occupational risk factors in Alzheimer's disease: a review assessing the quality of published epidemiological studies
Santibanez et al.
Occup. Environ. Med. 2007;64:723-732.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Alcohol Drinking and Breast Cancer Risk: An Evaluation Based on a Systematic Review of Epidemiologic Evidence among the Japanese Population
Nagata et al.
Jpn J Clin Oncol 2007;0:hym062v1-7.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tools for assessing quality and susceptibility to bias in observational studies in epidemiology: a systematic review and annotated bibliography
Sanderson et al.
Int J Epidemiol 2007;36:666-676.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Selenium and coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis.
Flores-Mateo et al.
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2006;84:762-773.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Arsenic Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review of the Epidemiologic Evidence
Navas-Acien et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2005;162:1037-1049.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

ALCOHOL AND CANCER
Poschl and Seitz
Alcohol Alcohol 2004;39:155-165.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Reporting, Appraising, and Integrating Data on Genotype Prevalence and Gene-Disease Associations
Little et al.
Am J Epidemiol 2002;156:300-310.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Meta-Analysis of Wine and Beer Consumption in Relation to Vascular Risk
Di Castelnuovo et al.
Circulation 2002;105:2836-2844.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Systematic reviews in epidemiology: why are we so far behind?
Dickersin
Int J Epidemiol 2002;31:6-12.
FULL TEXT  

Serum Levels of Micronutrients, Antioxidants and Total Antioxidant Status Predict Risk of Breast Cancer in a Case Control Study
Ching et al.
J. Nutr. 2002;132:303-306.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Alcohol and Breast Cancer: Review of Epidemiologic and Experimental Evidence and Potential Mechanisms
Singletary and Gapstur
JAMA 2001;286:2143-2151.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, and the Prevention of Breast Cancer
Jordan and Morrow
Endocr. Rev. 1999;20:253-278.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Putting the risk of breast cancer in perspective
Bunker et al.
BMJ 1998;317:1307-1309.
FULL TEXT  

A Prospective Study of Association of Monounsaturated Fat and Other Types of Fat With Risk of Breast Cancer
Wolk et al.
Arch Intern Med 1998;158:41-45.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Perception of the Combined Effects of Smoking and Alcohol on Cancer Risks in Never Smokers and Heavy Smokers
Hermand et al.
J Health Psychol 1997;2:481-491.
ABSTRACT  

The Critical Role of Alcohol Consumption in Determining the Risk of Breast Cancer with Postmenopausal Estrogen Administration
Zumoff
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 1997;82:1656-1658.
FULL TEXT  

Exploratory Research Synthesis: Methodological Considerations for Addressing Limitations in Data Quality
Yeation et al.
Eval Health Prof 1995;18:283-303.
ABSTRACT  

ALCOHOL MAY INCREASE RISK OF BREAST CANCER
JWatch General 1988;1988:2-2.
FULL TEXT