Association of breast cancer and obesity in a homogeneous population from Spain
A.B. Crujeiras1,2, J. Cueva3, M. Vieito3, T. Curiel3, R. López-López3, M. Pollán4,5, and F.F. Casanueva1,2
1Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Complejo Hospitalario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela; 2CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela; 4Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology; 5CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

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 aMediterranean 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. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 35: 681-685, 2012) ©2012, Editrice Kurtis

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