Comparison of methods to assess onset of breast development in the LEGACY Girls Study: methodological considerations for studies of breast cancer.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Younger age at onset of breast development, which has been declining in recent decades, is associated with increased breast cancer risk independent of age at menarche. Given the need to study the drivers of these trends, it is essential to validate methods to assess breast onset that can be used in large-scale studies when direct clinical assessment of breast onset is not feasible. METHODS:Breast development is usually measured by Tanner stages (TSs), assessed either by physical examination or by mother's report using a picture-based Sexual Maturation Scale (SMS). As an alternative, a mother-reported Pubertal Development Scale (PDS) without pictures has been used in some studies. We compared agreement of SMS and PDS with each other (n = 1022) and the accuracy of PDS with clinica

SUBMITTER: Houghton LC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5907380 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature