Association between gout and subsequent breast cancer: a retrospective cohort study including 67,598 primary care patients in Germany

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to analyze the cumulative incidence of breast cancer following gout and to investigate the association between gout and subsequent breast cancer in 67,598 primary care patients in Germany.

Methods: This study included adult female patients (≥ 18 years) with an initial diagnosis of gout in 1284 general practices in Germany between January 2005 and December 2020. Individuals without gout were matched to gout patients using propensity score matching based on average yearly consultation frequency during the follow-up period, diabetes, obesity, chronic bronchitis/COPD diagnoses, and diuretic therapy. The 10-year cumulative incidence of breast cancer in the cohorts with and without gout was also studied using Kaplan-Meier curves, which were then compared using the log-rank test. Finally, a univariable Cox regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between gout and breast cancer.

Results: After up to 10 years of follow-up, 4.5% of gout and 3.7% of non-gout patients were diagnosed with breast cancer. A Cox regression analysis revealed a significant association between gout and subsequent breast cancer in the total population (HR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.05-1.31). In the age-stratified analyses, gout was only strongly associated with subsequent breast cancer in the age group ≤ 50 (HR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10-2.27), but the association was not significant in women over 50 years old.

Conclusion: Taken together, the findings of our study provide evidence for the association between gout and subsequent breast cancer diagnosis, particularly in the youngest age group.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Epidemiology; Germany; Gout; Hyperuricemia; Inflammation; Primary care; Risk factors.

Fig. 1

Selection of study patients

Fig. 2

Cumulative incidence of breast cancer in patients with and without gout