Abstract
Objective: To investigate the association between alcoholism and risk of male breast cancer.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study in Sweden of men diagnosed with alcoholism between 1965 and 1995. The cohort was followed up through interlinkages with nationwide registries (the national cancer registry, immigration registry, causes of death registry, and population registry), using the national registration numbers. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), calculated using the Swedish national cancer incidence rate as reference, were used as estimates of relative risks.
Results: A total of 145,811 men were enrolled into the cohort, contributing 1,499,504 person-years of follow-up. Sixteen incident breast cancer cases were identified, and the mean age at diagnosis was 68 years. We excluded the first year of follow-up (cases and person-years) from the analysis to avoid detection bias. The overall SIR (excluding the first year of follow-up) was 1.1 (95% CI 0.6–2.0). Although based on small numbers we found no indication of a differential SIR according to duration of follow-up, age at cohort enrolment, or age at follow-up (attained age or age at cancer diagnosis).
Conclusion: The observed associations are not compatible with an increase in breast cancer risk among male alcoholics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Coleman MP, Esteve J, Damiecki P, Arslan A, Renard H (1993) Trends in Cancer Incidence and Mortality, Lyon: IARC Scientific Publication 121: 1–806.
Ewertz M, Holmberg L, Karjalainen S, Tretli S, Adami HO (1989) Incidence of male breast cancer in Scandinavia, 1943–1982. Int J Cancer 43: 27–31.
Henderson BE, Pike MC, Bernstein L, Ross RK (1996) Breast cancer. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumen Jr. JF, eds. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 1022–1039.
Sorensen HT, Friis S, Olsen JH, et al. (1998) Risk of breast cancer in men with liver cirrhosis. Am J Gastroenterol 93: 231–233.
Gavaler JS, Van Thiel DH (1992) Hormonal status of postmenopausal women with alcohol-induced cirrhosis: further findings and a review of the literature. Hepatology 16: 312–319.
Smith-Warner SA, Spiegelman D, Yaun SS, van den Brandt PA, Folsom AR, Goldbohm RA (1998) Alcohol and breast cancer in women: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. JAMA 279: 535–540.
Rosenblatt KA, Thomas DB, Jimenez LM, et al. (1999) The relationship between diet and breast cancer in men (United States). Cancer Causes Control 10: 107–113.
Casagrande JT, Hanisch R, Pike MC, Ross RK, Brown JB, Henderson BE (1988) A case-control study of male breast cancer. Cancer Res 48: 1326–1330.
Hsing AW, McLaughlin JK, Cocco P, Co Chien HT, Fraumeni JF Jr (1998) Risk factors for male breast cancer (United States). Cancer Causes Control 9: 269–275.
Mabuchi K, Bross DS, Kessler II (1985). Risk factors for male breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 74: 371–375.
Thomas DB, Jimenez LM, McTiernan A, et al. (1992) Breast cancer in men: risk factors with hormonal implications. Am J Epidemiol 135: 734–748.
Nyrén O, McLaughlin JK, Gridley G, et al. (1995) Cancer risk after hip replacement with metal implants: a population-based cohort study in Sweden. J Natl Cancer Inst 87: 28–33.
Mattsson B, Wallgren A (1984) Completeness of the Swedish Cancer Registry. Non-notified cancer cases recorded on death certificates in 1978. Acta Radiol Oncol 23: 305–313.
Breslow NE, Day NE (1987) Statistical Methods in Cancer Research, Vol. II: The design and analysis of cohort studies. IARC Scientific Publications No 82, International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Wolk A, Gridley G, Svensson M, Nyren O, McLaughlin JK, Fraumeni JF JR, Adami H-O (2001) A prospective study of obesity and cancer risk (Sweden). Cancer Causes Control 12: 13–21.
IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, vol. 44; Alcohol Drinking. Lyon: IARC Press.
Sigvardsson S, Hardell L, Przybeck TR, Cloninger R (1996) Increased cancer risk among Swedish female alcoholics. Epidemiology 7: 140–143.
Kuper H, Ye W, Weiderpass E, Ekbom A, Trichopoulos D, Nyren O, Adami H-O (2000) Alcohol and breast cancer risk: the alcoholism paradox. Br J Cancer 83: 949–951.
Reichman ME, Judd JT, Longcope C, et al. (1993) Effects of alcohol consumption on plasma and urinary hormone concentrations in premenopausal women. J Natl Cancer Inst 85: 722–727.
D'Avanzo B, La Vecchia C (1995) Risk factors for male breast cancer. Br J Cancer 71: 1359–1362.
McLaughlin JK, Malker HSR, Blot WJ, Weider JA, Ericsson JLE, Fraumeni JF Jr (1988) Occupational risks for male breast cancer in Sweden. Br J Ind Med 45: 275–276.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weiderpass, E., Ye, W., Adami, HO. et al. Breast cancer risk in male alcoholics in Sweden. Cancer Causes Control 12, 661–664 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011216502678
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011216502678