Changes in the incidence of early-onset breast cancer in Germany between 2010 and 2022

The relationship between demographic factors and known risk factors with breast cancer in women aged 30-69

Background

Breast cancer is one of the most important causes of cancer deaths in women. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between demographic factors and known risk factors with breast cancer in women aged 30-69.

Method

This case-control study was conducted with two matched and unmatched control groups. Three hundred fifty women aged 30-69 with breast cancer, 350 age-matched women without cancer, and 350 not age-matched women were included in the study. Controls were selected from the records of women whose breast cancer screening results were normal. Study subjects were evaluated regarding the risk factors for breast cancer. The data collection tool was a checklist including the risk factors investigated in the integrated health system. The collected data were analyzed utilizing SPSS22 software at a significance level of less than 0.05.

Results

The average age in the case group was 46.63±11.77 years and 49.61±8.39 in the unmatched control group. The average age of marriage in the case group was 21.54±4.31, and the average age of women at first pregnancy in the case group was 24.06±3.39 years. In the case group, 163 people (46.57%) lived in the city, 221 people (63.14%) were over 40 years old, and 337 people (96.28%) were married. In multivariate analysis, the variable 'age of marriage' 0.821 (0.691-0.976) and 'age of first pregnancy' 1.213 (1.020-1.443) showed a significant relationship with breast cancer which were observed as predictors of breast cancer in comparison to the unmatched control group (P-value <0.05).

Conclusion

The age of the first pregnancy and the type of delivery were observed as predictors of breast cancer. Therefore, by performing breast cancer screening in women who are exposed to these risk factors, early diagnosis of the disease and increasing the speed of their treatment can be significantly helped.

Is there an association between endometriosis and subsequent breast cancer? A retrospective cohort study from Germany

PURPOSE

Given the relatively high incidence of both endometriosis and breast cancer, investigating the potential connection between these gynecological diseases is of substantial clinical significance. However, there is no clear consensus in the literature on the extent to which the risk of breast cancer is increased in patients with endometriosis. Therefore, we conducted a large-scale observational study investigating the association between endometriosis and breast cancer risk.

METHODS

This study included women aged ≥ 18 years with an initial endometriosis diagnosis from one of 315 office-based gynecologists in Germany between January 2005 and December 2021. Non-endometriosis patients were matched 1:1 to patients with endometriosis based on age, index year, average yearly consultation frequency, and predefined co-diagnoses within 12 months before or on the index date, including obesity and benign breast disorders. The association between endometriosis and the 10-year incidence of breast cancer was studied using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests. Finally, a univariable Cox regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between endometriosis and breast cancer.

RESULTS

Over a follow-up period of up to 10 years, no significant difference was observed between the endometriosis (2.4%) and the matched non-endometriosis group (2.5%) with regard to breast cancer diagnoses. Furthermore, the regression analysis revealed no significant association between endometriosis and subsequent breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our comprehensive 10-year study involving a substantial sample of women indicates that endometriosis is not significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent breast cancer.