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American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 132, No. 1: 17-26
Copyright © 1990 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health

research-article

LACTATION AND RISK OF BREAST CANCER IN A COHORT OF US WOMEN

STEPHANIE J. LONDON1 2,, GRAHAM A. COLDITZ3, MEIR J. STAMPFER1,3, WALTER C. WILLETT1,3,4, BERNARD A. ROSNER3,5, KAREN CORSANO3 and FRANK E. SPEIZER3

1Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA
3Channing Laboratory, Departments of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA
4Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health Boston, MA
5Departments of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston, MA

Reprint requests to Dr. Stephanie J. London, University of Southern California Medical School, Parkview Medical Building, B-306, 1420 Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033

The relation between lactation and risk of breast cancer was examined in a cohort of 89,413 parous female US registered nurses aged 30–55 years and free from cancer in 1976 who provided information on total duration of lactation in 1986. Between 1976 and 1986, 1,262 cases of breast cancer occurred during 785,958 person-years of follow-up. There was no independent association between lactation and the risk of breast cancer. After adjustment for age and parity, compared with women who had never lactated, the relative risks (and 95% confidence intervals (Cl)) were 0.95 (95% Cl 0.84–1.08) for women with <7 months of lactation, 0.87 (95% Cl 0.71–1.08) for 7–11 months, 0.94 (95% Cl 0.77–1.14) for 12–23 months, and 0.98 (95% Cl 0.76–1.28) for >24 months (test for trend: z = –0.80, p = 0.42). The association did not differ by age or menopausal status. These results do not confirm reports that relatively short durations of lactation reduce the risk of breast cancer among younger women.

breast feeding; breast neoplasms; lactation; risk

2Current address: University of Southern California Medical School, Los Angeles, CA


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