Premium
Epidemiology of breast carcinoma II: Factors related to the predominance of left‐sided disease
Author(s) -
Senie Ruby T.,
Rosen Paul Peter,
Lesser Martin L.,
Snyder Ruth E.,
Schottenfeld David,
Duthie Kathleen
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19801001)46:7<1705::aid-cncr2820460734>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - medicine , breast carcinoma , medullary carcinoma , carcinoma , menarche , medullary cavity , epidemiology , breast cancer , disease , oncology , gynecology , thyroid carcinoma , cancer , thyroid
A study of the laterally of 980 patients with unilateral breast carcinoma revealed a left/right ratio of 1.26. Detailed analysis disclosed a significant association between left predominance and the following clinicopathologic features: menarche after age 13, age at diagnosis, parity especially among those between ages 40 and 54, and all histologic types except medullary tumors. When asynchronous bilateral carcinoma was documented, the disease first occurred more often in the left breast. Patients with simultaneous bilateral disease usually had a larger tumor on the left. Because differences in breast size were considered a contributing factor, relative breast volumes were computed from the mammograms of 174 healthy women; 55% were found to have a larger left breast. These data and other observations cited in the literature suggest that the asymmetry of breast carcinoma reflects differences in the sensitivity of the mammary glands to hormonal stimulation, resulting in unequal volumes of tissue at risk to develop carcinoma.