Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Sep 25;21(1):1051.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-021-08775-8.

Association of body composition with odds of breast cancer by molecular subtype: analysis of the Mechanisms for Established and Novel Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women (MEND) study

Tomi Akinyemiju  1   2   3 , Kelley Jones  4 , Anjali Gupta  4   5 , Taofik Oyekunle  4 , Veeral Saraiya  6 , April Deveaux  4 , Omolola Salako  7 , Allison Hall  8 , Olusegun Alatise  9 , Gabriel Ogun  10 , Adewale Adeniyi  11 , Omobolaji Ayandipo  10 , Thomas Olajide  7 , Olalekan Olasehinde  9 , Olukayode Arowolo  9 , Adewale Adisa  9 , Oludolapo Afuwape  10 , Aralola Olusanya  10 , Aderemi Adegoke  12 , Trygve O Tollefsbol  13 , Donna Arnett  14 ; H3 Africa Kidney Research Network; Adetola Daramola  7
Collaborators, Affiliations

Association of body composition with odds of breast cancer by molecular subtype: analysis of the Mechanisms for Established and Novel Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Nigerian Women (MEND) study

Tomi Akinyemiju et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: The association between obesity and breast cancer (BC) has been extensively studied among US, European and Asian study populations, with often conflicting evidence. However, despite the increasing prevalence of obesity and associated conditions in Africa, the continent with the highest age-standardized BC mortality rate globally, few studies have evaluated this association, and none has examined in relation to molecular subtypes among African women. The current analysis examines the association between body composition, defined by body mass index (BMI), height, and weight, and BC by molecular subtype among African women.

Methods: We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between measures of body composition and BC and molecular subtypes among 419 histologically confirmed cases of BC and 286 healthy controls from the Mechanisms for Established and Novel Risk Factors for Breast Cancer in Women of Nigerian Descent (MEND) case-control study.

Results: Higher BMI (aOR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67, 0.95) and weight (aOR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.98) were associated with reduced odds of BC in adjusted models, while height was associated with non-statistically significant increased odds of BC (aOR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.90, 1.28). In pre/peri-menopausal, but not post-menopausal women, both higher BMI and weight were significantly associated with reduced odds of BC. Further, higher BMI was associated with reduced odds of Luminal A, Luminal B, and HER2-enriched BC among pre/peri-menopausal women, and reduced odds of triple-negative BC among post-menopausal women.

Conclusions: Higher BMI and weight were associated with reduced odds of BC overall and by molecular subtype among West African women. Larger studies of women of African descent are needed to definitively characterize these associations and inform cancer prevention strategies.

Keywords: BMI; Body composition; Breast cancer; Hormone receptor; Molecular subtype; Nigeria.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CONSORT diagram for MEND body composition analysis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
BMI quartile by case/control status and clinical factors. a Distribution of BMI quartiles by case/control status among pre/peri-menopausal participants. b Distribution of BMI quartiles by case/control status among post-menopausal participants. c Distribution of BMI quartiles by case/control status among participants younger than 45 years old. d Distribution of BMI quartiles by case/control status among participants aged 45–59 years old. e Distribution of BMI quartiles by case/control status among participants 60 years or older
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Associations between body composition and breast cancer by menopausal status. Logistic regression models predicting odds of breast cancer. Adjusted for age, age at menarche, number of pregnancies, number of births, and prior hypertension diagnosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Bray F, Ferlay J, Soerjomataram I, Siegel RL, Torre LA, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics 2018: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2018;68(6):394–424. doi: 10.3322/caac.21492. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Azubuike SO, Muirhead C, Hayes L, McNally R. Rising global burden of breast cancer: the case of sub-Saharan Africa (with emphasis on Nigeria) and implications for regional development: a review. World J Surg Oncol. 2018;16(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s12957-018-1345-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adeloye D, Sowunmi OY, Jacobs W, David RA, Adeosun AA, Amuta AO, Misra S, Gadanya M, Auta A, Harhay MO, Chan KY. Estimating the incidence of breast cancer in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Health. 2018;8(1):010419. doi: 10.7189/jogh.08.010419. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McKeown RE. The epidemiologic transition: changing patterns of mortality and population dynamics. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2009;3(1 Suppl):19s–26s. doi: 10.1177/1559827609335350. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fitzmaurice C, Allen C, Barber RM, Barregard L, Bhutta ZA, Brenner H, et al. Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years for 32 cancer groups, 1990 to 2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study. JAMA Oncol. 2017;3(4):524–548. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.5688. - DOI - PMC - PubMed