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Original Summaries of Selected CANCERLIT Abstracts.
Cystic Disease of the Breast and Breast Cancer
Last modified on:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 10:52:30
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
A major concern among women is that cystic disease of the breast
might be a precursor to breast cancer. In general, this concern is
unjustified. Gross cystic disease (GCD) may be different, however,
and studies that better classify these cysts may help permit more
definitive prognosis and allay fears. A presentation made at the
American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting (ICDB/95613572) by
Italian scientists from the University of Torino attempted to
correlate risk of breast cancer in women with particular categories
of breast cysts. In GCD, the concentrations of many components of
the aspirated breast cyst fluid, especially potassium and sodium,
classify the cysts into two major types, referred to as Type I and
Type II; Type I cysts have a potassium to sodium ratio greater than
1.5. This study of 1,094 women and 802 fluid samples also involved
detailed follow-up of cancer incidence. Through March 1994, 12
cases of breast cancer were observed among 416 women with solitary
(n=367) or multiple (n=49) Type I cysts at entry. This compared
to two breast cancer cases diagnosed among 386 women with solitary
Type II cysts (n=315) or multiple cysts of mixed types (n=71).
After adjusting for age, age at which menses started (menarche),
family history of breast cancer, and number of births, the risk of
breast cancer was elevated for those women with Type I relative to
those with Type II cysts (risk ratio 5.72).
October, 1995
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