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Anthropometric factors, physical activity, and breast cancer risk in relation to hormone receptor and menopausal status in Japanese women: a case–control study

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Abstract

Purpose

The associations between anthropometric factors, physical activity (PA), and breast cancer risk in terms of estrogen-receptor/progesterone-receptor (ER/PgR) status have been unclear in Japanese women. This case–control study was designed to evaluate these associations.

Methods

From among female patients aged 30 years and over admitted to a single hospital in Japan between 1997 and 2009, 1,017 breast cancer cases (538ER+/PgR+, 125ER+/PgR−, 23 ER−/PgR+, 249 ER−/PgR−, and 82 missing) and 2,902 controls were selected. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), and time spent exercising (hours/week) were assessed using a self-administered questionnaire. Polytomous logistic regression analysis and tests for heterogeneity across ER+/PgR+ and ER−/PgR− were conducted.

Results

Higher BMI was associated with a higher risk of ER+/PgR+ cancer among women overall [odds ratio (OR) = 2.41, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.37–4.23 for BMI ≥30.0; P trend = 0.0001] and postmenopausal women (OR = 6.24, 95 % CI 2.68–14.53 for BMI ≥30.0; P trend < 0.0001). A longer time spent exercising (more than 5 h/week) showed a decreased risk for any type of breast cancer among overall and pre- and postmenopausal women, although this did not reach statistical significance. Height was not associated with any risk.

Conclusions

Higher BMI is associated with an increased risk of ER+/PgR+ cancer among women overall and postmenopausal women. PA might be associated with a decreased risk of any type. To prevent breast cancer, weight control and PA are important.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 23390169.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Community Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8575, Japan

    Masaaki Kawai & Yuko Minami

  2. Department of Breast Oncology, Miyagi Cancer Center Hospital, 47-1 Nodayama, Medeshima-Shiode, Natori, Miyagi, 981-1293, Japan

    Yoichiro Kakugawa & Yohei Hamanaka

  3. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, Miyagi Cancer Center Research Institute, 47-1 Nodayama, Medeshima-Shiode, Natori, Miyagi, 981-1293, Japan

    Yoshikazu Nishino & Yuko Minami

  4. Department of Surgical Oncology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8574, Japan

    Masaaki Kawai, Yohei Hamanaka & Noriaki Ohuchi

Authors
  1. Masaaki Kawai
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  2. Yoichiro Kakugawa
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  3. Yoshikazu Nishino
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  4. Yohei Hamanaka
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  5. Noriaki Ohuchi
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  6. Yuko Minami
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Correspondence to Yuko Minami.

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Kawai, M., Kakugawa, Y., Nishino, Y. et al. Anthropometric factors, physical activity, and breast cancer risk in relation to hormone receptor and menopausal status in Japanese women: a case–control study. Cancer Causes Control 24, 1033–1044 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-013-0181-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-013-0181-5

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