Association of breast cancer and obesity in a homogeneous population from Spain

• Published in: Journal of endocrinological investigation 2012-07, Vol.35 (7), p.681-685
• Main Authors: Crujeiras, A. B., Cueva, J., Vieito, M., Curiel, T., López-López, R., Pollán, M., Casanueva, F. F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Body Mass Index; Breast Neoplasms - complications; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Breast Neoplasms - physiopathology; Cohort Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Endocrinology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Medical Records; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; Obesity - complications; Obesity - epidemiology; Original Article; Overweight - complications; Overweight - epidemiology; Postmenopause; Prevalence; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Spain - epidemiology; Survival Analysis; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0391-4097; 1720-8386
• DOI: 10.3275/8370

Objective: To evaluate for the first time in Spain if the association between obesity and breast cancer prognosis is similar to that reported in other countries with non Mediterranean dietary patterns. Methods: Weight and height and other variables of interest, tumor characteristics and current clinical status 3 yr after diagnosis were retrieved from medical files of breast cancer women diagnosed during 2006. A total of 159 cases with complete information were studied and categorized according to the World Health Organization criteria in normal-/under-weight, overweight, and obese. Results: Among breast cancer patients, 70.4% were classified as overweight/obese and 29.6% as normal weight. Prevalence of obesity was high (38.4%) in comparison with information reported for healthy women of the same region (27.11 %) and was higher among post-menopausal patients and in women with low level of alcohol and tobacco consumption. Moreover, overweight/obese cases (79.5%) tended to have more often human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status negative when compared with those with normal weight (70.2%; p =0.097) and the survival curves tended to be influenced by body mass index although without statistical significance. Conclusions: Overweight/obesity in a Mediterranean country is highly prevalent among breast cancer patients. Our results support a putative influence of obesity per se and not the alimentary patterns as a prognostic factor in breast cancer patients justifying the need to perform larger prospective studies.