RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, and Breast Cancer among African-American and White Women in North Carolina JF Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention JO Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev FD American Association for Cancer Research SP 1233 OP 1240 VO 9 IS 11 A1 Millikan, Robert A1 DeVoto, Emily A1 Duell, Eric J. A1 Tse, Chiu-Kit A1 Savitz, David A. A1 Beach, James A1 Edmiston, Sharon A1 Jackson, Susan A1 Newman, Beth YR 2000 UL http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/9/11/1233.abstract AB We examined plasma dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) and total polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels in relation to breast cancer in a population-based, case-control study of African-American women (292 cases and 270 controls) and white women (456 cases and 389 controls) in North Carolina. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for breast cancer comparing the highest to lowest third of DDE were 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.87–2.29] in African-American women and 0.98 (95% CI, 0.67–1.43) in white women. ORs comparing the highest to lowest third of total PCBs were 1.74 (95% CI, 1.00–3.01) in African-American women and 1.03 (95% CI, 0.68–1.56) in white women. Among African-Americans, the OR for total PCBs was highest for obese women (body mass index≥ 34.2; OR, 4.92; 95% CI, 1.63–14.83). In contrast, the OR for DDE was highest for the leanest African-American women (body mass index,<25; OR, 3.84; 95% CI, 0.98–15.08). ORs for DDE were not elevated among women who lived or worked on farms or elevated among farming women who reported exposure to pesticides. Our results suggest absence of a strong effect for DDE or total PCBs in breast cancer but lend support for associations among subgroups of women. In our study, factors such as income, parity, breastfeeding, race/ethnicity, and body mass index influenced the relationship of organochlorines and breast cancer. Differing distributions of such factors may explain some of the inconsistencies across previous studies.