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The Nurses' Health Study (NHS) GWAS of Mammographic Density

The Nurses' Health Study is an on-going prospective cohort study of women that was initiated in 1976. This specific study was part of a larger study to advance our knowledge of breast cancer etiology, expand the current knowledge of mammographic density, and clarify the relationship between mammographic density and breast cancer risk. We conducted a nested case control study of breast cancer among women who provided a blood sample. We then targeted our mammogram collection to participants that were selected as part of this nested case-control study (i.e. those who had provided a blood sample). The mammogram closest to the date of blood draw (~1989-1990) was used. We assessed mammographic breast density from digitized film images using a computer assisted thresholding method (Cumulus). The women in this study were genotyped using the Illumina Omni Express Platform.