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Association of breast cancer and obesity in a homogeneous population from Spain

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Abstract

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 a Mediterranean 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Area of Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology (Lab. 2), Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IDIS), Complejo Hospitalario de Santiago (CHUS), C/Choupana, s/n, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    A. B. Crujeiras & F. F. Casanueva

  2. CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    A. B. Crujeiras & F. F. Casanueva

  3. Department of Medical Oncology, Complejo Hospitalario de Santiago de Compostela (CHUS), Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    J. Cueva, M. Vieito, T. Curiel & R. López-López

  4. Cancer and Environmental Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Budapest, Hungary

    M. Pollán

  5. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    M. Pollán

Authors
  1. A. B. Crujeiras
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  2. J. Cueva
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  3. M. Vieito
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  4. T. Curiel
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  5. R. López-López
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  6. M. Pollán
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  7. F. F. Casanueva
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Correspondence to A. B. Crujeiras.

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Crujeiras, A.B., Cueva, J., Vieito, M. et al. Association of breast cancer and obesity in a homogeneous population from Spain. J Endocrinol Invest 35, 681–685 (2012). https://doi.org/10.3275/8370

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3275/8370

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