Cigarette Smoking and Breast Cancer: a Case-control Study in Serbia

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Despite the fact that breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide, more than halfof the breast cancer risk factors remained unexplained. The aim of this study was to investigate the associationof cigarette smoking with risk of breast cancer. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: A case-control study was conductedin the Clinical Centre of Kragujevac, Serbia, covering 382 participants (191 cases and 191 controls). In theanalysis of data logistic regression was used. <br/><b>Results</b>: Breast cancer risk was significantly increased in thosewho quit smoking at ≤50 years of age (OR=2.72; 95% confidence interval - 95%CI=1.02-7.27) and in those whoquit smoking less than 5 years before diagnosis of the disease (OR=4.36; 95%CI=1.12-16.88). When smokerswere compared with nonsmokers without passive exposure to smoking, former smoking significantly increasedbreast cancer risk (OR=2.37; 95%CI=1.07-5.24). Risk for breast cancer was significantly increased in those whoquit smoking at ≤50 years of age (OR=3.29; 95%CI=1.17-9.27) and in those who quit smoking less than 5 yearsbefore diagnosis of the disease (OR=5.46; 95%CI=1.34-22.28). <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: These data suggest that cigarettesmoking is associated with an elevated risk of breast cancer among former smokers in Serbia.