Alcohol Consumption and Breast Cancer Survival: A Metaanalysis of Cohort Studies

Abstract

Background and <br/><b>Objectives</b>: Evidence for associations between alcohol consumption with breast cancersurvival are conflicting, so we conducted the present meta-analysis. <br/><b>Methods</b>: Comprehensive searches wereconducted to find cohort studies that evaluated the relationship between alcohol consumption with breastcancer survival. Data were analyzed with meta-analysis software. <br/><b>Results</b>: We included 25 cohort studies.The meta-analysis results showed that alcohol consumption was not associated with increased breast cancermortality and recurrence after pooling all data from highest versus lowest comparisons. Subgroup analysesshowed that pre-diagnostic or post-diagnostic consumpotion, and ER status did not affect the relationship withbreast cancer mortality and recurrence. Although the relationships of different alcohol consumption with breastcancer mortality and recurrence were not significant, there seemed to be a dose-response relationship of alcoholconsumption with breast cancer mortality and recurrence. Only alcohol consumption of >20 g/d was associatedwith increased breast cancer mortality, but not with increased breast cancer recurrence. <br/><b>Conclusion</b>: Althoughour meta-analysis showed alcohol drinking was not associated with increased breast cancer mortality andrecurrence, there seemed to be a dose-response relationship of alcohol consumption with breast cancer mortalityand recurrence and alcohol consumption of >20 g/d was associated with increased breast cancer mortality.