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Alcohol amount more of a factor than drink type in breast cancer risk
Risk increase of 30% could occur with more than three daily drinks.
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Results of a study examining the consequences of alcohol in the development of breast cancer indicated that what a patient consumed did not have as much influence as the quantity.
“Population studies have consistently linked drinking alcohol to an increased risk for female breast cancer, but until now there have been little data, most of it conflicting, about an independent role played by the choice of beverage type,” Arthur L. Klatsky, MD, investigator, division of research at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif., said in a press release.
In findings presented at the 14th European Cancer Conference in Barcelona, Spain, researchers examined the drinking patterns of 70,033 women (59% white, 26% black and 10% Asian-American) who responded to surveys regarding drinking habits during health exams from 1978 to 1985.
Of the women who provided information, 2,829 were diagnosed with breast cancer by 2004. Researchers studied the responsibility that specific forms of alcohol had among women who consumed more than a single drink per month (37,879 women; 1,509 diagnosed).
In one analysis, women whose amount of drinking implied a dominant alcohol choice were compared with women without a definitive preference (3,783 liquor, 10,570 wine, 2,702 beer and 20,824 no preference). In another analysis, researchers studied the independent association of frequency per day or per week in consuming each type of alcohol.
Red or white wine
When researchers controlled for total alcohol, they found that the relative risk for comparison of alcohol preference groups with women who did not have a preference was 1.06 (0.94-1.20) for women who drank wine, 1.02 (0.87-1.21) for liquor and 1.02 (0.981-1.29) for beer. The relative risk for frequency of the alcoholic choices was 1.02 (0.99-1.04) for women who drank wine, 1.01 (0.98-1.04) for liquor and 1.01 (0.97-1.06) for beer.
Within subgroups divided by race, Klatsky told Hem/Onc Today that the relation of alcohol to the increased risk for breast cancer was similar in black, Asian-American and white women. Researchers also viewed other subgroups based on factors such as education and smoking status and found similar results.
When they divided patients into subgroups by type of wine, such as white or red, researchers found no difference in breast cancer risk.
However, women who had between one and two alcoholic drinks per day were at 10% greater risk in comparison with light drinkers who had less than a single drink per day. Among women who consumed more than three alcoholic drinks per day, researchers found that the breast cancer risk increased by 30%. The increase in relative risk for breast cancer and the actual occurrence of breast cancer because of heavy drinking was probably causally-related; however, it has not been proven, Klatsky said. – by Paul Burress
For more information:
- Li Y, Baer D, Friedman GD, et al. Wine, liquor, beer and risk of breast cancer. #1201. Presented at: 14th European Cancer Conference; Sept. 12-27, 2007; Barcelona, Spain.