Alcohol intake and endogenous sex hormones in women: Meta-analysis of cohort studies and Mendelian randomization.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced breast carcinogenesis are not fully understood but may involve hormonal changes. METHODS: Cross-sectional associations were investigated between self-reported alcohol intake and serum or plasma concentrations of estradiol, estrone, progesterone (in premenopausal women only), testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in 45 431 premenopausal and 173 476 postmenopausal women. Multivariable linear regression was performed separately for UK Biobank, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, and Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer Collaborative Group, and meta-analyzed the results. For testosterone and SHBG, we also conducted Mendelian randomization and colocalization using the ADH1B (alcohol dehydrogenase 1B) variant (rs1229984). RESULTS: Alcohol intake was positively, though weakly, associated with all hormones (except progesterone in premenopausal women), with increments in concentrations per 10 g/day increment in alcohol intake ranging from 1.7% for luteal estradiol to 6.6% for postmenopausal dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. There was an inverse association of alcohol with SHBG in postmenopausal women but a small positive association in premenopausal women. Two-sample randomization identified positive associations of alcohol intake with total testosterone (difference per 10 g/day increment: 4.1%; 95% CI, 0.6-7.6) and free testosterone (7.8%; 4.1-11.5), and an inverse association with SHBG (-8.1%; -11.3% to -4.9%). Colocalization suggested a shared causal locus at ADH1B between alcohol intake and higher free testosterone and lower SHBG (posterior probability for H4, 0.81 and 0.97, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol intake was associated with small increases in sex hormone concentrations, including bioavailable fractions, which may contribute to its effect on breast cancer risk.

Outdoor air pollution and risk of incident adult haematologic cancer subtypes in a large US prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Outdoor air pollution and particulate matter (PM) are classified as Group 1 human carcinogens for lung cancer. Pollutant associations with haematologic cancers are suggestive, but these cancers are aetiologically heterogeneous and sub-type examinations are lacking. METHODS: The American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort was used to examine associations of outdoor air pollutants with adult haematologic cancers. Census block group level annual predictions of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10, PM10-2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO) were assigned with residential addresses. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between time-varying pollutants and haematologic subtypes were estimated. RESULTS: Among 108,002 participants, 2659 incident haematologic cancers were identified from 1992-2017. Higher PM10-2.5 concentrations were associated with mantle cell lymphoma (HR per 4.1 µg/m3 = 1.43, 95% CI 1.08-1.90). NO2 was associated with Hodgkin lymphoma (HR per 7.2 ppb = 1.39; 95% CI 1.01-1.92) and marginal zone lymphoma (HR per 7.2 ppb = 1.30; 95% CI 1.01-1.67). CO was associated with marginal zone (HR per 0.21 ppm = 1.30; 95% CI 1.04-1.62) and T-cell (HR per 0.21 ppm = 1.27; 95% CI 1.00-1.61) lymphomas. CONCLUSIONS: The role of air pollutants on haematologic cancers may have been underestimated previously because of sub-type heterogeneity.

A population-level digital histologic biomarker for enhanced prognosis of invasive breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with variable survival outcomes. Pathologists grade the microscopic appearance of breast tissue using the Nottingham criteria, which are qualitative and do not account for noncancerous elements within the tumor microenvironment. Here we present the Histomic Prognostic Signature (HiPS), a comprehensive, interpretable scoring of the survival risk incurred by breast tumor microenvironment morphology. HiPS uses deep learning to accurately map cellular and tissue structures to measure epithelial, stromal, immune, and spatial interaction features. It was developed using a population-level cohort from the Cancer Prevention Study-II and validated using data from three independent cohorts, including the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer trial, Cancer Prevention Study-3, and The Cancer Genome Atlas. HiPS consistently outperformed pathologists in predicting survival outcomes, independent of tumor-node-metastasis stage and pertinent variables. This was largely driven by stromal and immune features. In conclusion, HiPS is a robustly validated biomarker to support pathologists and improve patient prognosis.

Long-term multimorbidity trajectories in older adults: The role of cancer, demographics, and health behaviors.

BACKGROUND: Multimorbidity is associated with premature mortality and excess health care costs. The burden of multimorbidity is highest among patients with cancer, yet trends and determinants of multimorbidity over time are poorly understood. METHODS: Via Medicare claims linked to Cancer Prevention Study II data, group-based trajectory modeling was used to compare National Cancer Institute comorbidity index score trends for cancer survivors and older adults without a cancer history. Among cancer survivors, multinomial logistic regression analyses evaluated associations between demographics, health behaviors, and comorbidity trajectories. RESULTS: In 82,754 participants (mean age, 71.6 years [SD, 5.1 years]; 56.9% female), cancer survivors (n = 11,265) were more likely than older adults without a cancer history to experience the riskiest comorbidity trajectories: (1) steady, high comorbidity scores (remain high; odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.29-1.45), and (2) high scores that increased over time (start high and increase; OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.38-1.65). Cancer survivors who were physically active postdiagnosis were less likely to fall into these two trajectories (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.64-0.84, remain high; OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.33-0.53, start high and increase) compared to inactive survivors. Cancer survivors with obesity were more likely to have a trajectory that started high and increased (OR, 2.83; 95% CI, 2.32-3.45 vs. normal weight), although being physically active offset some obesity-related risk. Cancer survivors who smoked postdiagnosis were also six times more likely to have trajectories that started high and increased (OR, 6.86; 95% CI, 4.41-10.66 vs. never smokers). CONCLUSIONS: Older cancer survivors are more likely to have multiple comorbidities accumulated at a faster pace than older adults without a history of cancer. Weight management, physical activity, and smoking avoidance postdiagnosis may attenuate that trend.

Case-Cohort Study of the Association between PFAS and Selected Cancers among Participants in the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study II LifeLink Cohort.

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies found associations between exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and some cancer types. Many studies considered highly exposed populations, so relevance to less-exposed populations can be uncertain. Additionally, many studies considered only cancer site, not histology. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a case-cohort study within the American Cancer Society's prospective Cancer Prevention Study II (CPS-II) LifeLink cohort to examine associations between PFAS exposure and risk of selected cancers, considering histologic subtypes. METHODS: Serum specimens were collected from cohort participants during the period 1998-2001. This study included a subcohort (500 men, 499 women) randomly selected from participants without prior cancer diagnoses at serum collection, and all participants with incident (after serum collection) first cancers of the breast (females only, n=786), bladder (n=401), kidney (n=158), pancreas (n=172), prostate (males only, n=1,610) or hematologic system (n=635). PFAS concentrations [perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)] were measured in stored serum. We assessed associations between PFAS concentrations and incident cancers, by site and histologic subtype, using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models stratified by sex and controlling for age and year at blood draw, education, race/ethnicity, smoking, and alcohol use. RESULTS: Serum PFOA concentrations were positively associated with renal cell carcinoma of the kidney among women [hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) per PFOA doubling: 1.54 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.26)] but not men. Among men, we observed a positive association between PFHxS concentrations and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma [CLL/SLL, HR and 95% CI per PFHxS doubling: 1.34 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.75)]. We observed some heterogeneity of associations by histologic subtype within sites. DISCUSSION: This study supports the previously observed association between PFOA and renal cell carcinoma among women and suggests an association between PFHxS and CLL/SLL among men. Consideration of histologic subtypes might be important in future studies of PFAS-cancer associations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13174.

Alcohol intake and endogenous sex hormones in women: meta-analysis of cohort studies and Mendelian randomization.

Background: The mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced breast carcinogenesis are not fully understood but may involve hormonal changes. Methods: We investigated cross-sectional associations between self-reported alcohol intake and serum or plasma concentrations of oestradiol, oestrone, progesterone (in pre-menopausal women only), testosterone, androstenedione, DHEAS (dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate) and SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) in 45 431 pre-menopausal and 173 476 post-menopausal women. We performed multivariable linear regression separately for UK Biobank, EPIC (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) and EHBCCG (Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer Collaborative Group), and meta-analysed the results. For testosterone and SHBG, we also conducted two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) and colocalisation using the ADH1B (Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B) variant (rs1229984). Results: Alcohol intake was positively, though weakly, associated with all hormones (except progesterone in pre-menopausal women), with increments in concentrations per 10 g/day increment in alcohol intake ranging from 1.7% for luteal oestradiol to 6.6% for post-menopausal DHEAS. There was an inverse association of alcohol with SHBG in post-menopausal women but a small positive association in pre-menopausal women. MR identified positive associations of alcohol intake with total testosterone (difference per 10 g/day increment: 4.1%; 95% CI: 0.6%, 7.6%) and free testosterone (7.8%; 4.1%, 11.5%), and an inverse association with SHBG (-8.1%; -11.3%, -4.9%). Colocalisation suggested a shared causal locus at ADH1B between alcohol intake and higher free testosterone and lower SHBG (PP4: 0.81 and 0.97 respectively). Conclusions: Alcohol intake was associated with small increases in sex hormone concentrations, including bioavailable fractions, which may contribute to its effect on breast cancer risk.

Genetically inferred birthweight, height, and puberty timing and risk of osteosarcoma.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have linked increased risk of osteosarcoma with tall stature, high birthweight, and early puberty, although evidence is inconsistent. We used genetic risk scores (GRS) based on established genetic loci for these traits and evaluated associations between genetically inferred birthweight, height, and puberty timing with osteosarcoma. METHODS: Using genotype data from two genome-wide association studies, totaling 1039 cases and 2923 controls of European ancestry, association analyses were conducted using logistic regression for each study and meta-analyzed to estimate pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses were conducted by case diagnosis age, metastasis status, tumor location, tumor histology, and presence of a known pathogenic variant in a cancer susceptibility gene. RESULTS: Genetically inferred higher birthweight was associated with an increased risk of osteosarcoma (OR =1.59, 95% CI 1.07-2.38, P = 0.02). This association was strongest in cases without metastatic disease (OR =2.46, 95% CI 1.44-4.19, P = 9.5 ×10-04). Although there was no overall association between osteosarcoma and genetically inferred taller stature (OR=1.06, 95% CI 0.96-1.17, P = 0.28), the GRS for taller stature was associated with an increased risk of osteosarcoma in 154 cases with a known pathogenic cancer susceptibility gene variant (OR=1.29, 95% CI 1.03-1.63, P = 0.03). There were no significant associations between the GRS for puberty timing and osteosarcoma. CONCLUSION: A genetic propensity to higher birthweight was associated with increased osteosarcoma risk, suggesting that shared genetic factors or biological pathways that affect birthweight may contribute to osteosarcoma pathogenesis.

Germline Mutations in 12 Genes and Risk of Ovarian Cancer in Three Population-Based Cohorts.

BACKGROUND: With the widespread use of multigene panel genetic testing, population-based studies are necessary to accurately assess penetrance in unselected individuals. We evaluated the prevalence of germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (mutations) in 12 cancer-predisposition genes and associations with ovarian cancer risk in three population-based prospective studies [Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHSII, Cancer Prevention Study II]. METHODS: We included women with epithelial ovarian or peritoneal cancer (n = 776) and controls who were alive and had at least one intact ovary at the time of the matched case diagnosis (n = 1,509). Germline DNA was sequenced for mutations in 12 genes. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ovarian cancer risk by mutation status. RESULTS: The mutation frequency across all 12 genes was 11.2% in cases and 3.3% in controls (P < 0.0001). BRCA1 and BRCA2 were the most frequently mutated (3.5% and 3.8% of cases and 0.3% and 0.5% of controls, respectively) and were associated with increased ovarian cancer risk [OR, BRCA1 = 12.38; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.72-32.45; OR, BRCA2 = 9.18; 95% CI = 3.98-21.15]. Mutation frequencies for the other genes were ≤1.0% and only PALB2 was significantly associated with risk (OR = 5.79; 95% CI = 1.09-30.83). There was no difference in survival for women with a BRCA germline mutation versus no mutation. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to better understand the role of other mutations in ovarian cancer among unselected populations. IMPACT: Our data support guidelines for germline genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 among women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer; testing for PALB2 may be warranted.

Firefighting and Cancer: A Meta-analysis of Cohort Studies in the Context of Cancer Hazard Identification.

Objective: We performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological results for the association between occupational exposure as a firefighter and cancer as part of the broader evidence synthesis work of the IARCMonographs program. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify cohort studies of firefighters followed for cancer incidence and mortality. Studies were evaluated for the influence of key biases on results. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the association between ever-employment and duration of employment as a firefighter and risk of 12 selected cancers. The impact of bias was explored in sensitivity analyses. Results: Among the 16 included cancer incidence studies, the estimated meta-rate ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity statistic (I2) for ever-employment as a career firefighter compared mostly to general populations were 1.58 (1.14-2.20, 8%) for mesothelioma, 1.16 (1.08-1.26, 0%) for bladder cancer, 1.21 (1.12-1.32, 81%) for prostate cancer, 1.37 (1.03-1.82, 56%) for testicular cancer, 1.19 (1.07-1.32, 37%) for colon cancer, 1.36 (1.15-1.62, 83%) for melanoma, 1.12 (1.01-1.25, 0%) for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, 1.28 (1.02-1.61, 40%) for thyroid cancer, and 1.09 (0.92-1.29, 55%) for kidney cancer. Ever-employment as a firefighter was not positively associated with lung, nervous system, or stomach cancer. Results for mesothelioma and bladder cancer exhibited low heterogeneity and were largely robust across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: There is epidemiological evidence to support a causal relationship between occupational exposure as a firefighter and certain cancers. Challenges persist in the body of evidence related to the quality of exposure assessment, confounding, and medical surveillance bias.

Reproductive Events and Risk of Women's Cancers: From Parturition to Prevention.

Reproductive events beginning with pregnancy and ending with remodeling of the breast after cessation of breastfeeding alter breast structure and function and produce dramatic changes in systemic biology. In aggregate, these processes lower overall risk for breast, tubo-ovarian and endometrial cancers, albeit differentially by molecular subtypes of these tumors. Herein, we explore opportunities for research on protective mechanisms operative during this period of the life course, with the goal of encouraging studies to advance cancer prevention. See related article by Getz et al., p. 353.

A population-level computational histologic signature for invasive breast cancer prognosis.

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with variable survival outcomes. Pathologists grade the microscopic appearance of breast tissue using the Nottingham criteria, which is qualitative and does not account for non-cancerous elements within the tumor microenvironment (TME). We present the Histomic Prognostic Signature (HiPS), a comprehensive, interpretable scoring of the survival risk incurred by breast TME morphology. HiPS uses deep learning to accurately map cellular and tissue structures in order to measure epithelial, stromal, immune, and spatial interaction features. It was developed using a population-level cohort from the Cancer Prevention Study (CPS)-II and validated using data from three independent cohorts, including the PLCO trial, CPS-3, and The Cancer Genome Atlas. HiPS consistently outperformed pathologists' performance in predicting survival outcomes, independent of TNM stage and pertinent variables. This was largely driven by stromal and immune features. In conclusion, HiPS is a robustly validated biomarker to support pathologists and improve prognosis.

Functional and Clinical Characterization of Variants of Uncertain Significance Identifies a Hotspot for Inactivating Missense Variants in RAD51C.

Pathogenic protein-truncating variants of RAD51C, which plays an integral role in promoting DNA damage repair, increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. A large number of RAD51C missense variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified, but the effects of the majority of these variants on RAD51C function and cancer predisposition have not been established. Here, analysis of 173 missense variants by a homology-directed repair (HDR) assay in reconstituted RAD51C-/- cells identified 30 nonfunctional (deleterious) variants, including 18 in a hotspot within the ATP-binding region. The deleterious variants conferred sensitivity to cisplatin and olaparib and disrupted formation of RAD51C/XRCC3 and RAD51B/RAD51C/RAD51D/XRCC2 complexes. Computational analysis indicated the deleterious variant effects were consistent with structural effects on ATP-binding to RAD51C. A subset of the variants displayed similar effects on RAD51C activity in reconstituted human RAD51C-depleted cancer cells. Case-control association studies of deleterious variants in women with breast and ovarian cancer and noncancer controls showed associations with moderate breast cancer risk [OR, 3.92; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 2.18-7.59] and high ovarian cancer risk (OR, 14.8; 95% CI, 7.71-30.36), similar to protein-truncating variants. This functional data supports the clinical classification of inactivating RAD51C missense variants as pathogenic or likely pathogenic, which may improve the clinical management of variant carriers. SIGNIFICANCE: Functional analysis of the impact of a large number of missense variants on RAD51C function provides insight into RAD51C activity and information for classification of the cancer relevance of RAD51C variants.

Tracing Founder Mutations in Circulating and Tissue-Resident Follicular Lymphoma Precursors.

Follicular lymphomas (FL) are characterized by BCL2 translocations, often detectable in blood years before FL diagnosis, but also observed in aging healthy individuals, suggesting additional lesions are required for lymphomagenesis. We directly characterized early cooperating mutations by ultradeep sequencing of prediagnostic blood and tissue specimens from 48 subjects who ultimately developed FL. Strikingly, CREBBP lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) domain mutations were the most commonly observed precursor lesions, and largely distinguished patients developing FL (14/48, 29%) from healthy adults with or without detected BCL2 rearrangements (0/13, P = 0.03 and 0/20, P = 0.007, respectively). CREBBP variants were detectable a median of 5.8 years before FL diagnosis, were clonally selected in FL tumors, and appeared restricted to the committed B-cell lineage. These results suggest that mutations affecting the CREBBP KAT domain are common lesions in FL cancer precursor cells (CPC), with the potential for discriminating subjects at risk of developing FL or monitoring residual disease. SIGNIFICANCE: Our study provides direct evidence for recurrent genetic aberrations preceding FL diagnosis, revealing the combination of BCL2 translocation with CREBBP KAT domain mutations as characteristic committed lesions of FL CPCs. Such prediagnostic mutations are detectable years before clinical diagnosis and may help discriminate individuals at risk for lymphoma development. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1275.

Excess body fatness and cancer risk: a summary of the epidemiologic evidence.

Excess body fatness has been associated with various health outcomes including premature mortality, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and various types of cancer. Recent expert panels have reviewed the scientific evidence relating excess body fatness with risk of specific cancer types. This evidence includes intervention trials, cohort and case-control studies, experimental animal studies, and mechanistic studies. To date, these consensus panels have concluded that 13 cancers have sufficient evidence and biologic plausibility linking excess body fatness as a cause of cancer of the esophagus (adenocarcinoma), gastric cardia, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, meningioma, postmenopausal breast, endometrium, ovary, kidney, thyroid, and multiple myeloma. This article reviews the findings of these consensus reports along with additional considerations in better understanding the relationship between excess body fatness and cancer risk. Given that cancers linked to excess body fatness account for approximately 40% of all cancers, and approximately 70% of U.S. adults have overweight or obesity, it is critical to promote the maintenance of a healthy body weight throughout life for cancer prevention.

Contralateral Breast Cancer Risk Among Carriers of Germline Pathogenic Variants in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2.

PURPOSE: To estimate the risk of contralateral breast cancer (CBC) among women with germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and PALB2. METHODS: The study population included 15,104 prospectively followed women within the CARRIERS study treated with ipsilateral surgery for invasive breast cancer. The risk of CBC was estimated for PV carriers in each gene compared with women without PVs in a multivariate proportional hazard regression analysis accounting for the competing risk of death and adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics. The primary analyses focused on the overall cohort and on women from the general population. Secondary analyses examined associations by race/ethnicity, age at primary breast cancer diagnosis, menopausal status, and tumor estrogen receptor (ER) status. RESULTS: Germline BRCA1, BRCA2, and CHEK2 PV carriers with breast cancer were at significantly elevated risk (hazard ratio > 1.9) of CBC, whereas only the PALB2 PV carriers with ER-negative breast cancer had elevated risks (hazard ratio, 2.9). By contrast, ATM PV carriers did not have significantly increased CBC risks. African American PV carriers had similarly elevated risks of CBC as non-Hispanic White PV carriers. Among premenopausal women, the 10-year cumulative incidence of CBC was estimated to be 33% for BRCA1, 27% for BRCA2, and 13% for CHEK2 PV carriers with breast cancer and 35% for PALB2 PV carriers with ER-negative breast cancer. The 10-year cumulative incidence of CBC among postmenopausal PV carriers was 12% for BRCA1, 9% for BRCA2, and 4% for CHEK2. CONCLUSION: Women diagnosed with breast cancer and known to carry germline PVs in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, or PALB2 are at substantially increased risk of CBC and may benefit from enhanced surveillance and risk reduction strategies.

A prospective case-cohort analysis of plasma metabolites and breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer incidence rates have not declined despite an improvement in risk prediction and the identification of modifiable risk factors, suggesting the need to identify novel risk factors and etiological pathways involved in this cancer. Metabolomics has emerged as a promising tool to find circulating metabolites associated with breast cancer risk. METHODS: Untargeted metabolomic analysis was done on prediagnostic plasma samples from a case-cohort study of 1695 incident breast cancer cases and a 1983 women subcohort drawn from Cancer Prevention Study 3. The associations of 868 named metabolites (per one standard deviation increase) with breast cancer were determined using Prentice-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression modeling. RESULTS: A total of 11 metabolites were associated with breast cancer at false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05 with the majority having inverse association [ranging from RR = 0.85 (95% CI 0.80-0.92) to RR = 0.88 (95% CI 0.82-0.94)] and one having a positive association [RR = 1.14 (95% CI 1.06-1.23)]. An additional 50 metabolites were associated at FDR < 0.20 with inverse associations ranging from RR = 0.88 (95% CI 0.81-0.94) to RR = 0.91 (95% CI 0.85-0.98) and positive associations ranging from RR = 1.13 (95% CI 1.05-1.22) to RR = 1.11 (95% CI 1.02-1.20). Several of these associations validated the findings of previous metabolomic studies. These included findings that several progestogen and androgen steroids were associated with increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women and four phospholipids, and the amino acids glutamine and asparagine were associated with decreased risk of this cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women. Several novel associations were also identified, including a positive association for syringol sulfate, a biomarker for smoked meat, and 3-methylcatechol sulfate and 3-hydroxypyridine glucuronide, which are metabolites of xenobiotics used for the production of pesticides and other products. CONCLUSIONS: Our study validated previous metabolite findings and identified novel metabolites associated with breast cancer risk, demonstrating the utility of large metabolomic studies to provide new leads for understanding breast cancer etiology. Our novel findings suggest that consumption of smoked meats and exposure to catechol and pyridine should be investigated as potential risk factors for breast cancer.

Benign Breast Disease, NSAIDs, and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk in the CPS-II Cohort.

ABSTRACT: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID) are associated with modest inconsistent reductions in breast cancer risk in population-based cohorts, whereas two focused studies of patients with benign breast disease (BBD) have found lower risk with NSAID use. Given that BBD includes fibroinflammatory lesions linked to elevated breast cancer risk, we assessed whether NSAID use was associated with lower breast cancer risk among patients with BBD.Participants were postmenopausal women in the Cancer Prevention Study-II (CPS-II), a prospective study of cancer incidence and mortality, who completed follow-up surveys in 1997 with follow-up through June 30, 2015. History of BBD, NSAID use, and covariate data were updated biennially. This analysis included 23,615 patients with BBD and 36,751 patients with non-BBD, including 3,896 incident breast cancers over an average of 12.72 years of follow-up among participants. NSAID use, overall and by formulation, recency, duration, and pills per month was analyzed versus breast cancer risk overall and by BBD status using multivariable-adjusted Cox models; BBD status and NSAID use were modeled as time-dependent exposures.Patients with BBD who reported using NSAIDs experienced lower breast cancer risk (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97), with similar effects for estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers [HR, 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74-0.97] and ER-negative breast cancers (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.59-1.29); among women without BBD, NSAID use was unrelated to risk (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.92-1.13; Pinteraction = 0.04). Associations stratified by age, obesity, menopausal hormone use, and cardiovascular disease were similar.Among patients with BBD, NSAID use appears linked to lower breast cancer risk. Further studies to assess the value of NSAID use among patients with BBD are warranted. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: We examined whether NSAID use, a modifiable exposure, is associated with breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women from the Cancer Prevention Study-II with self-reported benign breast disease, an often inflammatory condition associated with higher rates of breast cancer.

Identifying monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance from electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) precedes multiple myeloma (MM). Use of electronic health records may facilitate large-scale epidemiologic research to elucidate risk factors for the progression of MGUS to MM or other lymphoid malignancies. AIMS: We evaluated the accuracy of an electronic health records-based approach for identifying clinically diagnosed MGUS cases for inclusion in studies of patient outcomes/ progression risk. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were retrieved from Kaiser Permanente Southern California's comprehensive electronic health records, which contain documentation of all outpatient and inpatient visits, laboratory tests, diagnosis codes and a cancer registry. We ascertained potential MGUS cases diagnosed between 2008 and 2014 using the presence of an MGUS ICD-9 diagnosis code (273.1). We initially excluded those diagnosed with MM within 6 months after MGUS diagnosis, then subsequently those with any lymphoid malignancy diagnosis from 2007 to 2014. We reviewed medical charts for 100 randomly selected potential cases for evidence of a physician diagnosis of MGUS, which served as our gold standard for case confirmation. To assess sensitivity, we also investigated the presence of the ICD-9 code in the records of 40 randomly selected and chart review-confirmed MGUS cases among patients with a laboratory report of elevated circulating monoclonal (M-) protein (a key test for MGUS diagnosis) and no subsequent lymphoid malignancy (as described above). The positive predictive value (PPV) for the ICD-9 code was 98%. All MGUS cases confirmed by chart review also had confirmatory laboratory test results. Of the confirmed cases first identified via M-protein test results, 88% also had the ICD-9 diagnosis code. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis code-based approach has excellent PPV and likely high sensitivity for detecting clinically diagnosed MGUS. The generalizability of this approach outside an integrated healthcare system warrants further evaluation.