Distinct Effects of Body Mass Index and Waist/Hip Ratio on Risk of Breast Cancer by Joint Estrogen and Progestogen Receptor Status: Results from a Case-Control Study in Northern and Eastern China and Implications for Chemoprevention.

CONCLUSIONS: Both general and central obesity contribute to breast cancer risk, with different effects on specific subtypes. General obesity, indicated by BMI, is more strongly associated with ER+/PR+ subtype, especially among premenopausal women, whereas central obesity, indicated by WHR, is more specific for ER-/PR- subtype, independent of menopausal status. These results suggest that different chemoprevention strategies may be appropriate in selected individuals.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The results of this study suggest that general and central obesity may play different roles in different breast cancer subtypes, supporting the hypothesis that obesity affects breast carcinogenesis via complex molecular interconnections, beyond the impact of estrogens. The results also imply that different chemoprevention strategies may be appropriate for selected individuals, highlighting the need to be particularly aware of women with a high waist/hip ratio but normal body mass index. Given the lack of any proven pharmacologic intervention for estrogen receptor negative breast cancer, stricter weight-control measures may be advised in these individuals.
PMID: 28912152 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: The Oncologist - September 14, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Wang F, Liu L, Cui S, Tian F, Fan Z, Geng C, Cao X, Yang Z, Wang X, Liang H, Wang S, Jiang H, Duan X, Wang H, Li G, Wang Q, Zhang J, Jin F, Tang J, Li L, Zhu S, Zuo W, Ma Z, Zhou F, Yu L, Xiang Y, Li L, Shen S, Yu Z Tags: Oncologist Source Type: research