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Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and mammographic density in pre- and postmenopausal women

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

Little is known about the association of metabolic syndrome (MetS) or insulin resistance (IR) with mammographic density, a strong risk factor for breast cancer. The goal of this study was to evaluate these associations in pre- and postmenopausal women. A cross-sectional study was performed in 73,974 adult women who underwent a comprehensive health screening examination that included a mammogram between 2011 and 2013 (mean age 42.6 years). MetS was defined according to the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. IR was assessed with the homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for dense breast were estimated using logistic regression models after adjustment for potential confounders. In premenopausal women, MetS and all its components except waist circumference were associated with dense breast. After adjustment for potential confounders, the OR (95 % CI) for dense breast in women with MetS compared with those without MetS was 1.22 (1.06–1.39). In postmenopausal women, however, there was positive but non-significant association between MetS and dense breast. In both pre- and postmenopausal women, high blood glucose and IR were positively associated with dense breast. The OR (95 % CI) for dense breast between the highest and lowest quartiles of HOMA-IR was 1.29 (1.20–1.39) for premenopausal women and 1.44 (1.05–1.97) for postmenopausal women. In a large sample of Korean women, MetS and IR were associated with mammographic dense breast, demonstrating that IR, a potentially modifiable risk factor, may increase breast cancer risk, possibly through high mammographic density.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Cohort Studies, Total Healthcare Center, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Main Building B2, 250, Taepyung-ro 2ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, 100-742, South Korea

    Bo-Kyoung Kim, Yoosoo Chang, Jiin Ahn, Hyun-Suk Jung, Chan-Won Kim, Kyung Eun Yun, Min-Jung Kwon, Eun Chul Chung, Hocheol Shin & Seungho Ryu

  2. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Yoosoo Chang, Byung-Seong Suh & Seungho Ryu

  3. Department of Clinical Research Design & Evaluation, SAIHST, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea

    Yoosoo Chang & Seungho Ryu

  4. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Min-Jung Kwon

  5. Department of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Eun Chul Chung

  6. Department of Family Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Hocheol Shin

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  1. Bo-Kyoung Kim
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Correspondence to Yoosoo Chang or Seungho Ryu.

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Kim, BK., Chang, Y., Ahn, J. et al. Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and mammographic density in pre- and postmenopausal women. Breast Cancer Res Treat 153, 425–434 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-015-3544-7

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