Environmental radon exposure and breast cancer risk in the Nurses’ Health Study II

Environmental Health

Jaime E. Hart¹  Trang VoPham²  Natalie DuPré²  Peter James²  Francine Laden²  Rulla M. Tamimi²  Veronica Vieira³  Kimberly A. Bertrand⁴ 

[1] Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School;Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health;Program in Public Health, University of California;Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University;

关键词: Radon;    Ionizing radiation;    Breast cancer;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12940-017-0305-6

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Radon and its decay products, a source of ionizing radiation, are primarily inhaled and can deliver a radiation dose to breast tissue, where they may continue to decay and emit DNA damage-inducing particles. Few studies have examined the relationship between radon and breast cancer. Methods The Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) includes U.S. female registered nurses who completed biennial questionnaires since 1989. Self-reported breast cancer was confirmed from medical records. County-level radon exposures were linked with geocoded residential addresses updated throughout follow-up. Time-varying Cox regression models adjusted for established breast cancer risk factors were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results From 1989 to 2013, 3966 invasive breast cancer cases occurred among 112,639 participants. Increasing radon exposure was not associated with breast cancer risk overall (adjusted HR comparing highest to lowest quintile = 1.06, 95% CI: 0.94, 1.21, p for trend = 0.30). However, women in the highest quintile of exposure (≥74.9 Bq/m3) had a suggested elevated risk of ER−/PR- breast cancer compared to women in the lowest quintile (<27.0 Bq/m3) (adjusted HR = 1.38, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.96, p for trend = 0.05). No association was observed for ER+/PR+ breast cancer. Conclusions Although we did not find an association between radon exposure and risk of overall or ER+/PR+ breast cancer, we observed a suggestive association with risk of ER−/PR- breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

Unknown