Inflammatory Biomarkers and Breast Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review of the Evidence and Future Potential for Intervention Research

Rebecca D. Kehm, Jasmine A. McDonald, Suzanne E. Fenton, Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch, Karling Alice Leung, Katherine E. McKenzie, Jeanne S. Mandelblatt and Mary Beth Terry
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Rebecca D. Kehm: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA
Jasmine A. McDonald: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA
Suzanne E. Fenton: National Toxicology Program Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 27709, USA
Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch: California Breast Cancer Research Program, University of California, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
Karling Alice Leung: Sapientiae, 1977 Manzanita Dr, Oakland, CA 94611, USA
Katherine E. McKenzie: California Breast Cancer Research Program, University of California, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
Jeanne S. Mandelblatt: Department of Oncology, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Georgetown-Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, 3800 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
Mary Beth Terry: Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: Measuring systemic chronic inflammatory markers in the blood may be one way of understanding the role of inflammation in breast cancer risk, and might provide an intermediate outcome marker in prevention studies. Here, we present the results of a systematic review of prospective epidemiologic studies that examined associations between systemic inflammatory biomarkers measured in blood and breast cancer risk. From 1 January 2014 to 20 April 2020, we identified 18 unique studies (from 16 publications) that examined the association of systemic inflammatory biomarkers measured in blood with breast cancer risk using prospectively collected epidemiologic data. Only one marker, C-reactive protein, was studied extensively (measured in 13 of the 16 publications), and had some evidence of a positive association with breast cancer risk. Evidence associating other inflammatory biomarkers and more comprehensive panels of markers with the development of breast cancer is limited. Future prospective evidence from expanded panels of systemic blood inflammatory biomarkers is needed to establish strong and independent links with breast cancer risk, along with mechanistic studies to understand inflammatory pathways and demonstrate how breast tissue responds to chronic inflammation. This knowledge could ultimately support the development and evaluation of mechanistically driven interventions to reduce inflammation and prevent breast cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer risk; blood inflammatory biomarkers; c-reactive protein; intervention research; prospective epidemiologic studies; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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