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Two of the most significant health conditions in elderly women are osteoporosis and breast cancer. Previous findings have indicated that the risk of breast cancer in the elderly may be associated with bone mineral density (BMD).
This study examines whether there is an association between BMD and risk of breast cancer in women without a family history of breast cancer compared to those with a history of breast cancer.
BMD was determined in 7,250 elderly white women and breast cancer status assessed at 1 year and then 3.2 years later.
It was reportd that in women with a family history of breast cancer, those with a proximal radius BMD in the highest tertile had a 3.41 increased risk compared with those in the lowest tertile.
The increased risk was 1.48 in women without a family history of breast cancer. Findings suggest that the association between risk of breast cancer and BMD may be realated to family history. The authors suggest that oestrogen exposure may partially explain the observed differences in risk of breast cancer.
Bone mineral density and risk of breast cancer.
Am J Epidemiol 148 1998)
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