Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Department

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Sub-Department

Epidemiology

First Advisor

Robin Puett

Abstract

There are many studies that have looked at the association between traffic-related air pollutants and health outcomes. However, there are very few studies that have examined the effect of traffic-related air pollutants on the risk of breast cancer. This study included data from the South Carolina Central Cancer Registry (SCCCR) and United States Census in order to conduct an ecological cross sectional study of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (measured by residential distance to roads and street density) in relation to breast cancer risk among 10,028 subjects. Subjects were taken from 2000-2006 and were residents of SC. We also conducted an individual level study of traffic pollution exposure and the risk of advanced stage and histological grade at breast cancer diagnosis. Negative binomial regression was used for the ecological analysis and both logistic and multinomial models were used for the individual level study. The results from the ecological study showed that AA women with a high street density are at an increased risk of breast cancer in comparison to European-American women. In the individual level study there was an association between advanced stage and grade at breast cancer diagnosis and street density. AA women with a high street density were less likely to have advanced grade breast cancer at diagnosis than EA women. Women who reside between 50 and 99 meters from a heavily travelled road were more likely to have distant stage breast cancer at diagnosis. Women with a high street density had a higher risk of distant stage breast cancer at diagnosis.

Rights

© 2010, Shana Lynn Nehls Bogenschneider

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