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Epidemiology of Breast Cancer

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Pathology and Epidemiology of Cancer

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Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce the reader to breast cancer epidemiology, with a specific focus on risk factors and breast cancer subtypes. We begin the chapter with descriptive epidemiology and present breast cancer incidence and mortality rates, and discuss trends over time. We discuss the established intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer and how they are defined in the context of epidemiologic studies. The majority of the chapter focuses on well-established risk factors for breast cancer, with a focus on better understanding the etiology of the different intrinsic subtypes. Lastly, we discuss some potential risk factors under investigation where there is emerging evidence, but the weight of evidence is still not conclusive.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Rulla M. Tamimi

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular Oncologic Pathology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Massimo Loda

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Lorelei A. Mucci

  3. Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Megan L. Mittelstadt

  4. King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Mieke Van Hemelrijck

  5. Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Maura Bríd Cotter

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Tamimi, R.M. (2017). Epidemiology of Breast Cancer. In: Loda, M., Mucci, L., Mittelstadt, M., Van Hemelrijck, M., Cotter, M. (eds) Pathology and Epidemiology of Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-35153-7_11

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