Background Previous studies have suggested that breast cancer risk factors are associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression status of the tumors. Methods We... Show moreBackground Previous studies have suggested that breast cancer risk factors are associated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression status of the tumors. Methods We pooled tumor marker and epidemiological risk factor data from 35 568 invasive breast cancer case patients from 34 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Logistic regression models were used in case-case analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and tumor subtypes, and case-control analyses to estimate associations between epidemiological risk factors and the risk of developing specific tumor subtypes in 12 population-based studies. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results In case-case analyses, of the epidemiological risk factors examined, early age at menarche (≤12 years) was less frequent in case patients with PR(-) than PR(+) tumors (P = .001). Nulliparity (P = 3 × 10(-6)) and increasing age at first birth (P = 2 × 10(-9)) were less frequent in ER(-) than in ER(+) tumors. Obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) in younger women (≤50 years) was more frequent in ER(-)/PR(-) than in ER(+)/PR(+) tumors (P = 1 × 10(-7)), whereas obesity in older women (>50 years) was less frequent in PR(-) than in PR(+) tumors (P = 6 × 10(-4)). The triple-negative (ER(-)/PR(-)/HER2(-)) or core basal phenotype (CBP; triple-negative and cytokeratins [CK]5/6(+) and/or epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR](+)) accounted for much of the heterogeneity in parity-related variables and BMI in younger women. Case-control analyses showed that nulliparity, increasing age at first birth, and obesity in younger women showed the expected associations with the risk of ER(+) or PR(+) tumors but not triple-negative (nulliparity vs parity, odds ratio [OR] = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.75 to 1.19, P = .61; 5-year increase in age at first full-term birth, OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.86 to 1.05, P = .34; obesity in younger women, OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.94, P = .09) or CBP tumors. Conclusions This study shows that reproductive factors and BMI are most clearly associated with hormone receptor-positive tumors and suggest that triple-negative or CBP tumors may have distinct etiology. Show less
To identify susceptibility loci for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL), we conducted a genome-wide association study of 589 individuals with cHL (cases) and 5,199 controls with validation in four... Show moreTo identify susceptibility loci for classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL), we conducted a genome-wide association study of 589 individuals with cHL (cases) and 5,199 controls with validation in four independent samples totaling 2,057 cases and 3,416 controls. We identified three new susceptibility loci at 2p16.1 (rs1432295, REL, odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, combined P = 1.91 x 10(-8)), 8q24.21 (rs2019960, PVT1, OR = 1.33, combined P = 1.26 x 10(-13)) and 10p14 (rs501764, GATA3, OR = 1.25, combined P = 7.05 x 10(-8)). Furthermore, we confirmed the role of the major histocompatibility complex in disease etiology by revealing a strong human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association (rs6903608, OR = 1.70, combined P = 2.84 x 10(-50)). These data provide new insight into the pathogenesis of cHL. Show less
Background: Truncating mutations in ATM have been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer but the effect of missense variants remains contentious. Methods: We have genotyped five polymorphic ... Show moreBackground: Truncating mutations in ATM have been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer but the effect of missense variants remains contentious. Methods: We have genotyped five polymorphic (minor allele frequency, 0.9-2.6%) missense single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in ATM (S49C, S707P, F858L, P1054R, and L1420F) in 26,101 breast cancer cases and 29,842 controls from 23 studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium. Results: Combining the data from all five SNPs, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.05 for being a heterozygote for any of the SNPs and 1.51 for being a rare homozygote for any of the SNPs with an overall trend OR of 1.06 (P-trend = 0.04). The trend OR among bilateral and familial cases was 1.12 (95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.23; P-trend = 0.02). Conclusions: In this large combined analysis, these five missense ATM SNPs were associated with a small increased risk of breast cancer, explaining an estimated 0.03% of the excess familial risk of breast cancer. Impact: Testing the combined effects of rare missense variants in known breast cancer genes in large collaborative studies should clarify their overall contribution to breast cancer susceptibility. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 19(9); 2143-51. (C) 2010 AACR. Show less
