Anthropometric measures and breast cancer risk among Hispanic women in Puerto Rico.

Introduction: Increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer associated with anthropometric measures including Body Mass Index (BMI), adult weight gain, and waist circumference has been observed in North American and European populations, but little evidence is available for Hispanic women. Breast cancer is the leading type of cancer, and leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Hispanic women in Puerto Rico (PR). However, compared with the United States, breast cancer incidence rates are lower but increasing more rapidly.

Perinatal factors, female breast cancer, and associated risk factors in Puerto Rico: evidence from the Atabey epidemiology of breast cancer study.

Purpose: There is increasing evidence that exposures in utero and in infancy impact breast cancer risk. No previous studies have evaluated these associations among women in Puerto Rico.

Methods: In a population-based case-control study of breast cancer epidemiology in the San Juan metropolitan area in Puerto Rico, we examined the association of early life factors with breast cancer risk and breast cancer risk factors.

Sun Exposure Is Associated with Reduced Breast Cancer Risk among Women Living in the Caribbean: The Atabey Study in Puerto Rico.

Background: Though inconsistent, there is evidence that sun exposure is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Previous studies have been conducted in geographical regions with seasonal variation in UV radiation, including periods of low to no exposure, and among participants mostly of European descent. Puerto Rico has no significant seasonal fluctuation, with continuous exposure to very high UV radiation.

Breast Cancer in a Caribbean Population in Transition: Design and Implementation of the Atabey Population-Based Case-Control Study of Women in the San Juan Metropolitan Area in Puerto Rico.

Global breast cancer incidence varies considerably, particularly in comparisons of low- and high-income countries; rates may vary even within regions. Breast cancer rates for Caribbean countries are generally lower than for North America and Europe. Rates in Puerto Rico are in the middle of the range between the highest and the lowest Caribbean countries.

Passive Sampling of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Four Coastal Aquatic Systems of Puerto Rico: A Pilot Study.

Little is known about the presence and effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Puerto Rico's waters. Four coastal aquatic systems were investigated using low-density polyethylene passive sampling for PCBs and OCPs in water and its overlying air. The highest total freely dissolved and gaseous concentrations of PCBs were found in Guánica Bay, with 4000 pg/L and 270 pg/m, respectively.