# Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Analysis of the Causal Relationship Between Uterine Fibroids and Breast Cancer in East Asian Women

## TL;DR

This study explores whether uterine fibroids and breast cancer causally influence each other in East Asian women using genetic data.

## Contribution

The study is the first to use bidirectional Mendelian randomization in East Asian populations to investigate the causal relationship between uterine fibroids and breast cancer.

## Key findings

- Genetically predicted uterine fibroids showed a borderline positive association with breast cancer risk.
- Breast cancer was found to have a significant causal effect on uterine fibroids.
- No significant heterogeneity was observed in the genetic associations analyzed.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the potential causal relationship between uterine fibroids (UF) and breast cancer (BC) using genetic data in East Asian populations. Methods: We conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis of UF and BC, selecting exposure-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from Biobank Japan and extracting outcome associations from the China Kadoorie Biobank for both directions. The primary estimator was inverse-variance-weighted (IVW), with robustness assessed using the weighted median, MR-Egger regression, and the MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO). Results: The SNPs with (p < 5.0 × 10−8) were selected as instrumental variables for UF (n = 16) and BC (n = 7). There was no evidence of heterogeneity in either direction. Genetically predicted UF was positively associated with BC risk (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.99–1.79; p = 0.063), although the association did not reach statistical significance in IVW. In addition, the causal effect of BC on UF was significant (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–1.32; p < 0.001 in IVW). Conclusions: Our study suggested a borderline significant causal effect of UF on BC. Moreover, BC demonstrated a significant causal association with UF, underscoring the need for further research into the role of various mechanisms including estrogen in the relationship between the two diseases.