title: Anthropometric variables and risk of breast cancer.
abstract: The role of anthropometric variables in the risk of breast cancer has been investigated using pooled data from 2 hospital-based case-control studies conducted in Italy for a total data-set of 3,247 cases and 3,263 controls. No association was observed in pre-menopausal women between breast cancer risk and height, weight, indices of body mass (W/H2; W/H1.5) and surface area. In post-menopausal women, the risk of breast cancer was inversely related to height, being 0.8 in taller women (greater than 165 cm) compared with women 155 cm tall or less; the trend in risk, although not constantly decreasing, was statistically significant (p trend = 0.03). A direct, statistically significant association emerged with weight and indices of body mass and post-menopausal breast cancer risk. Considering 2 indices of body weight (W/H2 and W/H1.5) and relative to thinner women, the respective estimated risks of post-menopausal breast cancer increased to 1.4 and 1.3 for grossly obese women, and the corresponding p values for trend were respectively 0.002 and 0.02. The role of overweight was more evident in women with early age at menopause, thus suggesting a duration-risk effect.
authors.affiliation: Instituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parazzini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: la Vecchia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Negri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bruzzi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Palli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boyle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors