Abstract
Background/Objective: India is the world's most biodiverse region and is undergoing a period of dramatic
social and economic change. Due to population's explosion, climate change and lax
implementation of environmental policies, the incidence of breast cancer is increasing.
From population-based cancer registry data, breast cancer is the most common cancer
in women in urban registries where it constitutes more than 30% of all cancers in
females. We conducted a meta-analysis of all breast cancer case–control studies conducted
in India during 1991–2018 to find pooled estimates of odds ratio (OR). Materials and Methods: Eligible studies were identified through a comprehensive literature search of PubMed,
EMBASE, and HINARI databases from 1991 to January 2018. This analysis included 24
observational studies out of 34 that reported the case–control distribution of reproductive
factors, body mass index (BMI) and type of residence. The analysis was performed using
RevMan 5.3 (Review Manager, 2017) applying the random-effects model. Results: A total of 21,511 patients (9889 cases and 11,622 controls) were analyzed, resulting
in statistically significant association between breast cancer and the following reproductive
factors: never breastfeed (OR: 3.69; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.70, 8.01), menopausal
age >50 years (OR: 2.88; 95% CI: 1.85, 3.85), menarche age <13 years (OR: 1.83; 95%
CI: 1.34, 2.51), null parity (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.21, 2.06), postmenopause (OR: 1.35;
95% CI: 1.13, 1.62), and age at the 1st pregnancy >25 years (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.37, 1.80). Family history (FH) of breast
cancer (OR: 5.33; 95% CI: 2.89, 9.82), obesity (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.42), and
urban residence (OR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.44) were also found to be significant risk
factors. Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis are indicative of significant associations between
reproductive factors and breast cancer risk, profoundly so among women experiencing
menopause after the age of 50, women who never breastfeed and FH of breast cancer.
Key words
Breast cancer - India - meta-analysis - reproductive risk factors