Purpose Pregnancy characteristics have been associated with breast cancer risk, but information is limited on their relationship with breast density. Our objective was to examine the relationship between first pregnancy characteristics and later life breast density, and whether the association is modified by genotype.Methods The Marin Women’s Study was initiated to examine breast cancer in a high-incidence mammography population (Marin County, CA). Reproductive characteristics and pregnancy information including pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) were self-reported at the time of mammography. Forty-seven candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms were obtained from saliva samples; seven were assessed in relation to PIH and percent fibroglandular volume (%FGV). Breast density assessed as %FGV was measured on full-field digital mammograms by the San Francisco Mammography Registry.ResultsA multivariable regression model including 2,440 parous women showed that PIH during first pregnancy was associated with a statistically significant decrease in %FGV (b = −0.31, 95 % CI −0.52, −0.11), while each month of breast-feeding after first birth was associated with a statistically significant increase in %FGV (b = 0.01, 95 % CI 0.003, 0.02). PIH and breast-feeding associations with %FGV were modified by age at first birth. In a subsample of 1,240 women, there was evidence of modification in the association between PIH and %FGV by specific vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (rs3025039) and insulin growth factor receptor-1 (IGFR1) (rs2016347) gene variants.ConclusionThese findings suggest that first pregnancy characteristics may exert an influence on extent of breast density later in life and that this influence may vary depending on inherited IGFR1 and VEGF genotypes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10552-014-0386-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study was conducted to test the psychometric properties of a newly developed healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire. One hundred eleven individuals identified through a registry and medical records who experienced an acute iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT) more than six months ago completed the questionnaire (containing the Health Utilities Index and Short Form-12, and DVT-specijk scales). Respondents were primarily female, Caucasian, and married with an average age of 54 years. Internalconsistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach 's alpha: 0.6eO.95). Interscale correlations were as expected. In general, patients with no symptoms reported the highest functioning, those with severe symptoms the lowest, and those with moderate symptoms reported values between the two. Guyattk statistic values for the majority of scales were t 10.20 1 , demonstrating acceptable responsiveness to change. Psychometric testing indicated that the measure is reliable, valid, and responsive in this group. Future research will focus on further evaluating its use in studies of patients receiving different therapies for acute DVT

The IBIS model was well calibrated for the high-risk Marin mammography population and demonstrated the best calibration of the 3 models in nulliparous women. The IBIS model also achieved the greatest overall discrimination and displayed superior discrimination for women with age at first birth > 30 years.

BackgroundRecent declines in invasive breast cancer have been reported in the US, with many studies linking these declines to reductions in the use of combination estrogen/progestin hormone therapy (EPHT). We evaluated the changing use of postmenopausal hormone therapy, mammography screening rates, and the decline in breast cancer incidence specifically for Marin County, California, a population with historically elevated breast cancer incidence rates.MethodsThe Marin Women's Study (MWS) is a community-based, prospective cohort study launched in 2006 to monitor changes in breast cancer, breast density, and personal and biologic risk factors among women living in Marin County. The MWS enrolled 1,833 women following routine screening mammography between October 2006 and July 2007. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire that included items regarding historical hormone therapy regimen (estrogen only, progesterone only, EPHT), age of first and last use, total years of use, and reason(s) for stopping, as well as information regarding complementary hormone use. Questionnaire items were analyzed for 1,083 non-Hispanic white participants ages 50 and over. Breast cancer incidence rates were assessed overall and by tumor histology and estrogen receptor (ER) status for the years 1990-2007 using data from the Northern California Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) cancer registry.ResultsPrevalence of EPHT use among non-Hispanic white women ages 50 and over declined sharply from 21.2% in 1998 to 6.7% by 2006-07. Estrogen only use declined from 26.9% in 1998 to 22.4% by 2006-07. Invasive breast cancer incidence rates declined 33.4% between 2001 and 2004, with drops most pronounced for ER+ cancers. These rate reductions corresponded to declines of about 50 cases per year, consistent with population attributable fraction estimates for EPHT-related breast cancer. Self-reported screening mammography rates did not change during this period. Use of alternative or complementary agents did not differ significantly between ever and never hormone users. Of women who reported stopping EPHT in the past 5 years, 60% cited "health risks" or "news reports" as their primary reasons for quitting.ConclusionA dramatic reduction in EPHT use was followed temporally by a significant reduction in invasive and ER+ breast cancer rates among women living in Marin County, California.

BackgroundThe Northern California county of Marin (MC) has historically had high breast cancer incidence rates. Because of MC's high socioeconomic status (SES) and racial homogeneity (non-Hispanic White), it has been difficult to assess whether these elevated rates result from a combination of established risk factors or other behavioral or environmental factors. This survey was designed to compare potential breast cancer risks and incidence rates for a sample of middle-aged MC women with those of a demographically similar population.MethodsA random sample of 1500 middle-aged female members of a large Northern California health plan, half from Marin County (MC) and half from a comparison area in East/Central Contra Costa County (ECCC), were mailed a survey covering family history, reproductive history, use of oral contraceptives (OC) and hormone replacement therapy (HRT), behavioral health risks, recency of breast screening, and demographic characteristics. Weighted data were used to compare prevalence of individual breast cancer risk factors and Gail scores. Age-adjusted cumulative breast cancer incidence rates (2000–2004) were also calculated for female health plan members aged 40–64 residing in the two geographic areas.ResultsSurvey response was 57.1% (n = 427) and 47.9% (n = 359) for MC and ECCC samples, respectively. Women in the two areas were similar in SES, race, obesity, exercise frequency, current smoking, ever use of OCs and HRT, age at onset of menarche, high mammography rates, family history of breast cancer, and Gail scores. However, MC women were significantly more likely than ECCC women to be former smokers (43.6% vs. 31.2%), have Ashkenazi Jewish heritage (12.8% vs. 7.1%), have no live births before age 30 (52.7% vs. 40.8%), and be nulliparous (29.2% vs. 15.4%), and less likely to never or rarely consume alcohol (34.4% vs. 41.9%). MC and ECCC women had comparable 2000–2004 invasive breast cancer incidence rates.ConclusionThe effects of reproductive risks factors, Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, smoking history, and alcohol consumption with regard to breast cancer risk in Marin County should be further evaluated. When possible, future comparisons of breast cancer incidence rates between regions should adjust for differences in income and education in addition to age and race/ethnicity, preferably by using a sociodemographically similar comparison group.