Psychological stress, adverse life events and breast cancer incidence: a cohort investigation in 106,000 women in the United Kingdom
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Schoemaker, M. J., Jones, M. E., Wright, L. B., Griffin, J., McFadden, E., Ashworth, A., Swerdlow, A. J.
(2016)
Psychological stress, adverse life events and breast cancer incidence: a cohort investigation in 106,000 women in the United Kingdom.
BREAST CANCER RESEARCH, 18.
ISSN 1465-5411
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Abstract
Background: Women diagnosed with breast cancer frequently attribute their cancer to psychological stress, but scientific evidence is inconclusive. We investigated whether experienced frequency of stress and adverse life events affect subsequent breast cancer risk. Methods: Breast cancer incidence was analysed with respect to stress variables collected at enrolment in a prospective cohort study of 106,000 women in the United Kingdom, with 1783 incident breast cancer cases. Relative risks (RR) were obtained as hazard ratios using Cox proportional hazards models. Results: There was no association of breast cancer risk overall with experienced frequency of stress. Risk was reduced for death of a close relative during the 5 years preceding study entry (RR = 0.87, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.97), but not for death of a spouse/partner or close friend, personal illness/injury, or divorce/separation. There was a positive association of divorce with oestrogen-receptor-negative (RR = 1.54, 95 % CI: 1.01-2.34), but not with oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. Risk was raised in women who were under age 20 at the death of their mother (RR = 1.31, 95 % CI: 1.02-1.67), but not of their father, and the effect was attenuated after excluding mothers with breast or ovarian cancer (RR = 1.17, 95 % CI: 0.85-1.61). Conclusions: This large prospective study did not show consistent evidence for an association of breast cancer risk with perceived stress levels or adverse life events in the preceding 5 years, or loss of parents during childhood and adolescence.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Authors (ICR Faculty only): | Jones, Michael and Schoemaker, Minouk and Swerdlow, Anthony |
| All Authors: | Schoemaker, M. J., Jones, M. E., Wright, L. B., Griffin, J., McFadden, E., Ashworth, A., Swerdlow, A. J. |
| Additional Information: | ISI Document Delivery No.: DR9CH Times Cited: 1 Cited Reference Count: 45 Schoemaker, Minouk J. Jones, Michael E. Wright, Lauren B. Griffin, James McFadden, Emily Ashworth, Alan Swerdlow, Anthony J. Breast Cancer Now; Institute of Cancer Research; National Health Service; Institute of Cancer Research National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre This work was supported by Breast Cancer Now and The Institute of Cancer Research. We acknowledge National Health Service funding to the Royal Marsden and The Institute of Cancer Research National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre. 1 0 BIOMED CENTRAL LTD LONDON BREAST CANCER RES |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Breast cancer Bereavement Cohort studies Life change events Stress Psychological SELF-REPORTED STRESS MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN PSYCHIATRIC-DISORDER CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY YOUNG-WOMEN RISK DEATH METAANALYSIS PROGRESSION NATIONWIDE |
| Research teams: | ICR divisions > Breast Cancer Research > Aetiological Epidemiology ICR divisions > Genetics and Epidemiology > Aetiological Epidemiology |
| Depositing User: | Barry Jenkins |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Aug 2016 15:38 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Aug 2016 15:41 |
| URI: | http://publications.icr.ac.uk/id/eprint/15253 |
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