Population-based Hormone Receptor-specific Incidence Trends of Breast Cancer in Germany

• Applicants: Dr. Ulrike Bandemer-Greulich; Professorin Dr. Jutta Engel; Professor Dr. Andreas Stang; Christa Stegmaier
• Subject Area: Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics
• Term: from 2009 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 88737753

Recent analyses of data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database showed that the breast cancer incidence dropped by 7% from 2002 to 2003 in the US. It has been hypothesized that the decline of the incidence may be causally related to the decline of postmenopausal estrogen-progestin hormone use (EG-HRT) in the US after June 2002. Based on the biological hypothesis that postmenopausal EG-HRT increases the risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, we would expect the largest incidence decline for estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer especially among women aged 50-69 years. For the period 1998-2007, we want to estimate the population-based incidence of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers including the populations of Munich and the administrative district of Munich (2.3 million inhabitants), Brandenburg (2.5 million inhabitants), and Saarland (1.1 million inhabitants). We expect to include roughly 41,000 newly diagnosed female breast cancer cases in all three regions. Age-specific incidence rates will be stratified by calendar year, region and hormone receptor status. In an ecologic analysis, the association between HRT prescription and hormone receptor positive breast cancer incidence will be studied. Population-based data on HRT prescription rates will be provided by the WIdO-Institute.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Gabriele Schubert-Fritschle