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

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.

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“…Se sabe que el estrés psicosocial es un factor predisponente y de riesgo potencial para presentar y exacerbar los síntomas de la DP por somatización del evento desencadenante (1,40,52,53), por lo que no es una coincidencia que la mayor parte de las estudiantes en este estudio pertenezca a la facultad de medicina, cuyo estilo de vida es particularmente estresante, más que otras carreras, como ha sido reportado por varios autores (47,54). Esto se ha visto reforzado sobre todo en estos últimos años, considerando las grandes demandas académicas que atraviesan en su día a día, laborales y emocionales durante las pasantías, la paralización frecuente de las clases presenciales, las tomas de decisiones constantes frente al sufrimiento de los pacientes asignados, insatisfacción con la elección universitaria y profesional, así como las condiciones de los puestos de trabajo a nivel hospitalario y en las aulas de clases, carentes de recursos básicos, en su gran mayoría, y ahora agregándose la pandemia por la COVID-19, lo que hace que la población de los profesionales de la salud, incluyendo a los estudiantes, sea caracterizada como vulnerable al momento de somatizar y exacerbar signos y síntomas presentes (54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59).…”

Body composition, energy expenditure and caloric intake among breast cancer patients at a teaching hospital in Nigeria—a cross sectional study

“…On the other hand, FMI is a better marker of adiposity and obesity than BMI [ 24 ], although this was in Mexican Americans. However, BMI is strongly correlated with FMI and body fats according to a study carried out by Jeong et al [ 25 ], though such issues as body composition are linked to race and ethnicity [ 26 ]. Like in previous studies [ 27 , 28 ], our study also showed that BMI is strongly correlated to FMI and body fats.…”

Sobrepeso, obesidad y cáncer de mama

“…La obesidad y la inactividad física son factores de riesgo modificables para el desarrollo del cáncer de mama. Los programas de actividad física permiten mantener un peso saludable y, por lo tanto, reducir La edad al momento del diagnóstico de la neoplasia, número de embarazos, edad de menopausia y antecedentes familiares de cáncer de mama ha demostrado que las pacientes obesas contribuyen con un aumento de 3 veces en el riesgo de desarrollar cáncer de mama (52).…”