Impact of Body Fat on Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk
Author Information
Author(s): Cubelos-Fernández Naiara, Dávila-Batista Verónica, Fernández-Villa Tania, Castaño-Vinyals Gemma, Perez-Gomez Beatriz, Amiano Pilar, Ardanaz Eva, Delgado Sillero Irene, Llorca Javier, Tardón Guillermo Fernández, Alguacil Juan, Vanaclocha Espí Mercedes, Marcos-Gragera Rafael, Moreno Víctor, Aragones Nuria, Dorronsoro Ane, Guevara Marcela, Reguero Celada Sofía, Pollan Marina, Kogevinas Manolis, Martín Vicente, Gough Linda
Primary Institution: University of León Institute of Biomedicine
Hypothesis
The study aims to compare the burden of postmenopausal breast cancer attributable to excess body fat calculated using BMI and CUN-BAE.
Conclusion
The study suggests that the significance of excess body fat in postmenopausal hormone receptor positive breast cancer could be underestimated when assessed using only BMI.
Supporting Evidence
- 10% of postmenopausal breast cancer cases are attributed to a high body mass index (BMI).
- Excess body weight attributable to breast cancer risk was 23.0% for BMI and 38.0% for CUN-BAE.
- Hormone receptor stratification showed differences in population attributable fractions (PAFs) for BMI and CUN-BAE.
- The study highlights the importance of using accurate measures of body fat for estimating cancer burden.
Takeaway
Being overweight can make breast cancer more likely for older women, and using a better way to measure body fat shows an even bigger risk than just using weight.
Methodology
This case-control study included 1033 breast cancer cases and 1143 postmenopausal controls, using logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios and population attributable fractions.
Potential Biases
Self-reported BMI for controls and cases may introduce reporting bias.
Limitations
The study's case-control design limits causal inference, and the sample size for non-hormone receptor expressing cases was small.
Participant Demographics
The study included postmenopausal white women.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI 12.2% to 31.4% for BMI; 95% CI 23.1% to 49.6% for CUN-BAE
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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