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The role of body size and physical activity on the risk of breast cancer in BRCA mutation carriers

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Abstract

Women who inherit a BRCA mutation face a high lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. Given the high penetrance of these mutations, prevention is of extreme importance. Here, we review the literature regarding the role of body size and of physical activity in the context of BRCA-associated breast cancer. There is some evidence to support a protective role of a healthy body size and of regular physical activity among mutation carriers, particularly during adolescence or early adulthood. Factors which increase the physiologic expression of the normal copy of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene and thereby normalize protein levels, contribute to stem cell homeostasis, and/or affect hormone levels, might mitigate the effects of an inherited BRCA mutation. Preliminary evidence from one in vivo study and from one epidemiologic report suggests that an increase in BRCA1 mRNA expression occurs with increasing levels of physical activity. The prospect of changing lifestyle for the purpose of preventing breast cancer in high-risk women, complemented by mechanistic evidence, warrants evaluation in large-scale prospective studies.

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Acknowledgments

Joanne Kotsopoulos is the recipient of a Cancer Care Ontario Research Chair in Population Studies and a Canadian Cancer Society Career Development Award in Prevention. Steven Narod is the recipient of a Canada Research Chair tier I. Rachael Pettapiece-Phillips was the recipient of a Department of Medicine Graduate Student Award from the University of Toronto. This study was supported by a Cancer Care Ontario—Population Sciences Research Network grant. The authors would like to thank Rania Chehade for her valuable comments on this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, 790 Bay Street, 7th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 1N8, Canada

    Rachael Pettapiece-Phillips, Steven A. Narod & Joanne Kotsopoulos

  2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, FitzGerald Building, 150 College Street, Room 316, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Rachael Pettapiece-Phillips, Steven A. Narod & Joanne Kotsopoulos

  3. Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street Health Science Building, 6th Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Steven A. Narod & Joanne Kotsopoulos

Authors
  1. Rachael Pettapiece-Phillips
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  2. Steven A. Narod
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  3. Joanne Kotsopoulos
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Correspondence to Joanne Kotsopoulos.

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Pettapiece-Phillips, R., Narod, S.A. & Kotsopoulos, J. The role of body size and physical activity on the risk of breast cancer in BRCA mutation carriers. Cancer Causes Control 26, 333–344 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0521-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-014-0521-0

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