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Breast Cancer Risk for Female Lupus Patients

Is their risk really lower?

Publish date:: May 20, 2015

The risk of breast cancer for women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is not lower than in women without SLE, according to a population-based study of 3,670,138 female Medicare beneficiaries. Researchers’ results included:

• The absolute age-adjusted risk for breast cancer was 2.23 for women with SLE and 2.14 in controls
• The overall age and race adjusted incidence rate was 1.04 per 100 women
• Among Hispanic, Native American, and/or Asian women, the age-adjusted rate of breast cancer was 2.44 per 100 and age-adjusted incidence rate was 1.52

These researchers conclude that women with SLE should follow appropriate breast cancer screening recommendations because SLE may affect selection of early breast cancer therapies.

Citation: Khaliq W, Qayyum R, Clough J, et al. Comparison of breast cancer risk in women with and without systemic lupus erythematosus in a Medicare population. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2015; 151(2): 465-474. doi:10.1007/s10549-015-34125.

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