Title |
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Does Not Correlate with Risk for Maternal Breast Cancer: Results from the Finnish Maternity Cohort
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Published in |
Cancer Research, January 2017
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DOI | 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-1524 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Renée T Fortner, Helena Schock, Rudolf Kaaks, Matti Lehtinen, Eero Pukkala, Hans-Åke Lakso, Minna Tanner, Raija Kallio, Heikki Joensuu, Jaana Korpela, Adetunji T Toriola, Göran Hallmans, Kjell Grankvist, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Paolo Toniolo, Eva Lundin, Heljä-Marja Surcel |
Abstract |
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is necessary for the maintenance of early pregnancy and promotes normal breast cell differentiation. Administered hCG reduces risk of carcinogen-induced breast cancer in animal models, and higher circulating hCG concentrations were associated with significantly lower long-term risk of breast cancer in a prior nested case-control study. In this study, we investigated early pregnancy hCG concentrations and subsequent breast cancer risk. We conducted a nested case-control study with 1,191 cases and 2,257 controls (matched on age and date at blood collection) in the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC), a cohort with serum samples from 98% of pregnancies registered in Finland since 1983. This study included women with a serum sample collected early (<140 days gestation) in their first pregnancy resulting in a live, term birth. Breast cancer cases were identified via the Finnish Cancer Registry. Age at breast cancer diagnosis ranged from 22-58 years (mean: 41 years). hCG was measured using a solidphase competitive chemiluminescence assay. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. We observed no association between hCG and breast cancer risk, overall (Quartile 4 vs. 1, OR: 1.14 95% confidence interval [0.94-1.39], by estrogen and progesterone receptor status, or by ages at first term birth or diagnosis. Associations did not differ by time between pregnancy and diagnosis (e.g., <5 years, ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.10 [0.64-1.89]; {greater than or equal to}15 years, ORQ4 vs. Q1: 1.36 [0.86-2.13]; pheterogeneity=0.62). This large prospective study does not support an inverse relationship between early pregnancy serum hCG concentrations and breast cancer risk. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United States | 5 | 71% |
Unknown | 2 | 29% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 5 | 71% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 14% |
Scientists | 1 | 14% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Finland | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 20 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Professor | 5 | 24% |
Librarian | 2 | 10% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 2 | 10% |
Student > Postgraduate | 2 | 10% |
Student > Master | 2 | 10% |
Other | 4 | 19% |
Unknown | 4 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 38% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 3 | 14% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 10% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 1 | 5% |
Social Sciences | 1 | 5% |
Other | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 5 | 24% |