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Carotenoids, retinol, and vitamin E and risk of proliferative benign breast disease and breast cancer

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We investigated the relationship between serum levels of retinol, β-carotene, α-carotene, lycopene, α-tocopherol, and γ-tocopherol as well as intakes of retinol, carotene, and vitamin E and the risks of breast cancer and proliferative benign breast disease (BBD) in a case-control study of postmenopausal women in the Boston, MA (United States) area. Serum nutrient data were available for 377 women with newly diagnosed stage I or II breast cancer and 173 women with proliferative BBD. Controls were 403 women who were evaluated at the same institutions but did not require a breast biopsy or whose biopsy revealed nonproliferative BBD. We observed no significant associations between serum levels of these micronutrients and risk of proliferative BBD or breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer was decreased among women in the highest quintile of intake of vitamin E from food sources only (odds ratio [OR] for the highest quintile = 0.4,95 percent confidence interval [CI]=0.2–0.9; P, trend across quintiles = 0.02) but less so for total vitamin E intake including supplements (OR=0.7, CI=0.4–1.3; P, trend = 0.07).

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Author information

Author notes

  1. I. Craig Henderson

    Present address: University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

  2. William C. Wood

    Present address: Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

  3. Steven Remine

    Present address: Health Cleveland, Fairview General Hospital, Cleveland, OH

  4. Nicholas J. Robert

    Present address: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Fairfax Hospital, Fall Church, VA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Stephanie J. London

  2. Medical Research Laboratories, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Evan A. Stein

  3. Dana Farber Cancer Center and the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    I. Craig Henderson

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

    Meir J. Stampfer

  5. Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

    Walter C. Willett

  6. Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA

    Walter C. Willett

  7. Department of Survery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

    William C. Wood

  8. Department of Surgery, Labey Clinic, Burlington, MA

    Steven Remine

  9. Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston, MA

    Nicholas J. Robert

  10. Department of Surgery, Labey Clinic, Burlington, MA

    Jan R. Dmochowski

Authors
  1. Stephanie J. London
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  2. Evan A. Stein
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Additional information

This project was supported by research grant CA 40429 from the National Cancer Institute. Dr London was supported in part by an Institutional National Research Service Award (CA 09001) from the National Cancer Institute.

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London, S.J., Stein, E.A., Henderson, I.C. et al. Carotenoids, retinol, and vitamin E and risk of proliferative benign breast disease and breast cancer. Cancer Causes Control 3, 503–512 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052746

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00052746

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