Benign Breast Disease Linked to Increased Risk for Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- The overall risk for breast cancer (BC) is increased for women diagnosed with benign breast disease (BBD) in the percutaneous biopsy era compared with the general population, according to a study published online Dec. 13 in JAMA Surgery.

Mark E. Sherman, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to estimate BC risk associated with BBD in the percutaneous biopsy era irrespective of surgical biopsy using data from BBD biopsy specimens collected from Jan. 1, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2014. Women were followed until censoring, BC diagnosis, or Dec. 31, 2021. Data were included for 4,819 female participants (median age, 51 years).

The researchers found that risk was higher in the BBD cohort than the Iowa Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program (standard incidence ratios [SIRs], 1.95, 1.56, and 3.10 for BC overall, invasive BC, and ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS], respectively). There was an increase in SIRs seen with increasing BBD severity (1.42, 2.19, and 3.91 for nonproliferative [NP], proliferative disease without atypia [PDWA], and atypical hyperplasia [AH], respectively), which was comparable to surgical cohorts with BBD. Increased risk was also seen with increasing lesion multiplicity (SIRs, 2.40, 3.72, and 5.29 for at least three foci of NP, PDWA, and AH, respectively). Compared with an expected population cumulative incidence of 2.9 percent, 10-year BC cumulative incidence was 4.3, 6.6, and 14.6 percent for NP, PDWA, and AH, respectively.

"Based on these findings, current clinical management of BBD in the percutaneous biopsy era should remain the same, with close surveillance and consideration of preventive therapy for women with AH," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to AstraZeneca.

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