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. 2013:2013:906495.
doi: 10.1155/2013/906495. Epub 2013 Feb 3.

Role of obesity in the risk of breast cancer: lessons from anthropometry

Amina Amadou  1 , Pierre Hainaut, Isabelle Romieu
Affiliations

Role of obesity in the risk of breast cancer: lessons from anthropometry

Amina Amadou et al. J Oncol. 2013.

Abstract

An estimated 1.38 million new cases of breast cancer (BC) are diagnosed each year in women worldwide. Of these, the majority are categorized as invasive ductal cell carcinoma. Subgroups of BC are frequently distinguished into five "intrinsic" subtypes, namely, luminal A, luminal B, normal-like, HER2-positive, and basal-like subtypes. Epidemiological evidence has shown that anthropometric factors are implicated in BC development. Overall consistent positive associations have been observed between high body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and the risk of BC among postmenopausal women, while conflicting results persist for premenopausal BC, both for BMI and for other anthropometric parameters as well as across ethnic groups. Furthermore, some evidence suggests that body size, body shape, and weight gain during childhood or adolescence may play a role in the risk of BC. In this paper, we describe the evidence linking anthropometric indices at different ages and BC risk, in order to improve our understanding of the role of body fat distribution in the risk of BC, investigate differences in these associations according to menopausal status and ethnic groups, and discuss the potential biological mechanisms linking body size and BC risk.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Forest plot of the association between BMI and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. The size of each box indicates the relative weight of each study; the horizontal bars show the 95% confidence intervals (CI). RR: relative risk; 95% CI: 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plot of the association between WHR and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women. The size of each box indicates the relative weight of each study; the horizontal bars show the 95% confidence intervals (CI). RR: relative risk; 95% CI: 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot of the association between BMI and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. The size of each box indicates the relative weight of each study; the horizontal bars show the 95% confidence intervals (CI). RR: relative risk; 95% CI: 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot of the association between WHR and breast cancer risk in premenopausal women. The size of each box indicates the relative weight of each study; the horizontal bars show the 95% confidence intervals (CI). RR: relative risk; 95% CI: 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Metabolic pathways linking obesity and breast cancer risk.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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