Breast cancer in Argentina: case-control study with special reference to meat eating habits.

An exploratory case-control study of the role of diet in the etiology of breast cancer was conducted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the mortality rate for this disease is high and the consumption of meat, mainly beef, is unusually elevated (76.2 kilograms per head were reported for 1987). One hundred and ninety-six women with breast cancer admitted to the Institute of Oncology "Angel H. Roffo" and 205 controls were interviewed to obtain information on demographic, socio-economic and reproductive variables, on frequency of consumption of 40 food items, and on methods of cooking. Special emphasis was given to different kinds of meat. After controlling for other risk factors for breast cancer the major dietary associations observed were a statistically insignificant trend of increasing risk with amount of beef consumed, an increase in risk in women who ate more than 3 eggs per week, and an increase in risk in women who ate a variety of fried foods.