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Purpose

There is strong evidence that leisure-time physical activity is protective against postmenopausal breast cancer risk but the association with premenopausal breast cancer is less clear. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of physical activity with the risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer.

Methods

We pooled individual-level data on self-reported leisure-time physical activity across 19 cohort studies comprising 547,601 premenopausal women, with 10,231 incident cases of breast cancer. Multivariable Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for associations of leisure-time physical activity with breast cancer incidence. HRs for high versus low levels of activity were based on a comparison of risk at the 90th versus 10th percentiles of activity. We assessed the linearity of the relationship and examined subtype-specific associations and effect modification across strata of breast cancer risk factors, including adiposity.

Results

Over a median 11.5 years of follow-up (IQR 8.0-16.1 years), high versus low levels of leisure-time physical activity were associated with a 6% (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99) and a 10% (HR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85-0.95) reduction in breast cancer risk, before and after adjustment for body mass index, respectively. Tests of nonlinearity suggested an approximately linear relationship (P_nonlinearity = 0.94). The inverse association was particularly strong for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–enriched breast cancer (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.39-0.84], P_het = 0.07). Associations did not vary significantly across strata of breast cancer risk factors, including subgroups of adiposity.

Conclusion

This large, pooled analysis of cohort studies adds to evidence that engagement in higher levels of leisure-time physical activity may lead to reduced premenopausal breast cancer risk.

Read an interview about the study here.