Table 1

Patient characteristics at the index date and mortality in the following 6 months


Cases (%)
Controls (%)

Number of patients
1,090
44,990
Mean age at index date ± SD
74.1 ± 5.7
71.1 ± 4.3
     Number of patients 66–74
670 (61.5)
36,900 (82.0)
     Number of patients 75–84
369 (33.9)
7,665 (17.0)
     Number of patients ≥ 85
51 (0.05)
425 (0.9)
Risk factors


     Mammography in years 2 or 3 prior to the index date
514 (47.2)
35,229 (78.3)
     History of diagnostic and therapeutic breast procedures in the 3 prior to the index date
19 (1.7)
296 (0.7)
     Benign neoplasm of the breast in the 3 years prior to the index date
15 (1.4)
319 (0.7)
     Other breast disease in the 3 years prior to the index date
169 (15.5)
4,667 (10.4)
     Estrogen replacement therapy in the year prior to the index date
299 (27.4)
17,837 (39.7)
     Combined estrogen/progesterone therapy in the year prior to the index date
101 (9.3)
4,943 (11.0)
Visit to a gynecologist in the year prior to the index date
152 (13.9)
10,076 (22.4)
Exposure to the drugs of interest (one or more prescriptions in the year prior to the index date)


     Ns-NSAID/COX-2 inhibitors
443 (40.6)
22,126 (49.2)
          Ns-NSAIDs
102 (9.4)
5,572 (12.4)
          COX-2 inhibitors
388 (35.8)
19,228 (42.7)
               Rofecoxib
242 (22.2)
11,498 (25.6)
               Celecoxib
203 (18.6)
10,269 (22.8)
     Aspirin
329 (30.2)
13,391 (29.8)
     Acetaminophen
253 (23.2)
10,159 (22.6)
     Not exposed*
375 (34.4)
12,260 (27.3)

SD – standard deviation

*Not exposed refers to the group of patients who were not exposed to ns-NSAIDs, aspirin, COX-2 inhibitors or acetaminophen during the year prior to the index date

Rahme et al. BMC Cancer 2005 5:159   doi:10.1186/1471-2407-5-159