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Green tea is a commonly consumed beverage in China. Epidemiological and animal data suggest tea and tea polyphenols may be preventive against various cancers, including breast cancer. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) catalyzes catechol estrogens and tea polyphenols. The COMT rs4680 AA genotype leads to lower COMT activity, which may affect the relationship between green tea consumption and breast cancer risk. We evaluated whether regular green tea consumption was associated with breast cancer risk among 3454 incident cases and 3474 controls aged 20-74 y in a population-based case-control study conducted in Shanghai, China during 1996-2005. All participants were interviewed in person about green tea consumption habits, including age of initiation, duration of use, brew strength, and quantity of tea. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% Cl were calculated for green tea consumption measures and adjusted for age and other confounding factors. Compared with nondrinkers, regular drinking of green tea was associated with a slightly decreased risk for breast cancer (OR, 0.88; 95% Cl, 0.79-0.98). Among premenopausal women, reduced risk was observed for years of green tea drinking (P-trend = 0.02) and a dose-response relationship with the amount of tea consumed per month was also observed (P-trend = 0.046). COMT rs4680 genotypes did not have a modifying effect on the association of green tea intake with breast cancer risk. Drinking green tea may be weakly associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Using data from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study (SBCSS), we estimated the prevalence and perceived benefits of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), and relevant demographic and clinical factors. Design: This was a cross-sectional cohort study. Subjects/setting/location: Subjects were 5046 women who participated in the SBCSS, conducted in urban Shanghai, China. Interventions/outcome measures: Data on CAM use (at least once a week for at least 1 month), patient sociodemographics, and medical history were collected using a structured questionnaire. Results: The average diagnosis age of participants was 53.5 years. Interviews were completed about 6.5 months after diagnosis. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of participants used CAM therapy after diagnosis. Supplements were the most common type, followed by CHM, and physical activity. Walking was the most popular type of physical activity. Almost all CHM users used CHM as part of their cancer treatment; three quarters reported CHM use for boosting the immune system. About two thirds of women considered CHM effective. Supplement users were more likely to have higher income, higher educational attainment, be married, have undergone or completed radiotherapy, used tamoxifen, have estrogen receptor (ER)-negative/progesterone receptor (PR)-negative cancer, and have menopausal symptoms. CHM use was associated with younger age, higher income, menopausal symptoms, completion of chemotherapy, and past tamoxifen use. Patients with an earlier clinical stage or who had undergone radiotherapy used less CHM. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy and cancer metastasis were positively related to physical activity participation. Current tamoxifen use, ER-/PR- cancer, higher educational attainment, and reporting average or better quality of life were inversely related to exercise participation. Conclusions: Given the high prevalence of CAM use in patients with breast cancer and the variety of types of CAM, more research is needed to determine the impact of CAM's effectiveness and safety and interaction with conventional cancer treatment on breast cancer survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the correlation between soy food consumption and isoflavonoids excretion rate in the urine of women in Shanghai, China. Discussion on the inhibitory effects of isoflavones and the incidence of cancers in the area; Assessment of soy food consumption; Evidence of increased urinary excretion rate of isoflavonoids.