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Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of breast cancer: results of a large population-based case–control study in Mexican women

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Abstract

Purpose

Epidemiologic studies have suggested that higher levels of circulating vitamin D may reduce breast cancer risk, but no studies have investigated this association among women in developing countries, and very few studies have further investigated this association according to menopausal status.

Methods

A population-based case–control study in Mexico with 1,000 incident breast cancer cases aged 35–69 years, enrolled shortly after diagnosis (0–6 days) and frequency-matched to 1,074 controls on age, region, and health care system, was used to assess the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels with overall, pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer risk. 25(OH)D concentration was measured on a random sub-sample of women (573 cases and 639 matched controls) using a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry method. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from multivariable conditional logistic regression models.

Results

Serum 25(OH)D concentration (per 10 ng/mL increase) showed a strong inverse association with risk of breast cancer among all (p trend = 0.001), pre- (p trend = 0.006) and postmenopausal women (p trend = 0.0001). Compared with a predefined lower concentration of 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL), higher levels (>30 ng/mL) were associated with lower overall (OR = 0.53, 95 % CI: 0.28–1.00; p trend = 0.002), pre- (OR = 0.60, 95 % CI: 0.16–2.17; p trend = 0.07) and postmenopausal (OR = 0.37, 95 % CI: 0.16–0.82; p trend = 0.004) breast cancer risk.

Conclusions

The results of this large population-based case–control study indicate an inverse association between circulating vitamin D levels and breast cancer risk among pre- and postmenopausal Mexican women.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank CONACyT for the financial support provided for this work and all physicians responsible for the project in the different participating hospitals: Dr. Germán Castelazo (IMSS, Hospital de la Raza, Ciudad de México, DF), Dr. Sinhué Barroso Bravo (IMSS, Hospital siglo XXI, Ciudad de México, DF), Dr. Fernando Mainero Ratchelous (IMSS, Hospital de Gineco-Obstetricia No 4. “Luis Castelaco Ayala”, Ciudad de México, DF), Dr. Hernando Miranda Hernández, SS, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, DF), Dr. Joaquín Zarco Méndez (ISSSTE, Hospital 20 de Noviembre, Ciudad de México, DF), Dr. Edelmiro Pérez Rodríguez (Hospital Universitario, Monterrey, Nuevo León), Dr. Jesús Pablo Esparza Cano (IMSS, Hospital No. 23 de Ginecología, Monterrey, Nuevo León), Dr. Heriberto Fabela (IMSS, Hospital No. 23 de Ginecología, Monterrey, Nuevo León), Dr. José Pulido Rodríguez (SS, Hospital Metropolitano Dr. “Bernardo Sepulveda”, Monterrey, Nuevo León), Dr. Manuel de Jesús García Solis (SS, Hospital Metropolitano Dr. “Bernardo Sepulveda”, Monterrey, Nuevo León), Dr. Fausto Hernández Morales (ISSSTE, Hospital General, Veracruz, Veracruz), Dr. Pedro Coronel Brizio (SS, Centro Estatal de Cancerología “Dr. Miguel Dorantes Mesa”, Xalapa, Veracruz), Dr. Vicente A. Saldaňa Quiroz (IMSS, Hospital Gineco-Pediatría No 71, Veracruz, Veracruz), M. C. Teresa Shamah Levy, INSP, Cuernavaca Mor. This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia CONACyT 2002-C01-7462 and the National Institutes of Health (1U54CA13238).

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Correspondence to Isabelle Romieu.

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Fedirko, V., Torres-Mejía, G., Ortega-Olvera, C. et al. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of breast cancer: results of a large population-based case–control study in Mexican women. Cancer Causes Control 23, 1149–1162 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-012-9984-z

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