Association of serum adiponectin levels with breast cancer risk.
OBJECTIVE
Adiponectin is a peptide hormone secreted from the adipose tissue, affecting the proliferation and insulin sensitivity of various types of cells. Because association of obesity with breast cancer risk is well established, it is possible that adiponectin plays some role in the development of breast cancer. Thus, in the present study, the association of the serum adiponectin levels with breast cancer risk was investigated.


METHODS
A case-control study was conducted on 102 breast cancer patients (cases) and 100 healthy women (controls). The serum adiponectin levels of cases and controls were examined in their association with breast cancer risk after adjustment for the various classical risk factors (family history, age at menarche, parity, body mass index, and so forth). In addition, the relationship between the serum adiponectin levels and the various clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancers was studied.


RESULTS
Women in the low tertile of serum adiponectin levels were associated with a significantly (P < 0.005) increased risk for breast cancer compared with women in the high tertile [odds ratio (OR), 3.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.61-8.19]. Such an association was observed both in the premenopausal women (OR, 3.46; 95% CI, 0.89-13.50) and in the postmenopausal women (OR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.23-12.44). The frequency of large (>2 cm) tumors and that of high histological grade (2+3) tumors were significantly (P < 0.005 and P < 0.05, respectively) higher in breast cancer patients in the low tertile of the serum adiponectin levels than those in the high and intermediate tertiles.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the low serum adiponectin levels are significantly associated with an increased risk for breast cancer and that tumors arising in women with the low serum adiponectin levels are more likely to show a biologically aggressive phenotype. The association between obesity and breast cancer risk might be partly explained by adiponectin.
Miyoshi
Yasuo
Y
Department of Surgical Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Funahashi
Tohru
T
Kihara
Shinji
S
Taguchi
Tetsuya
T
Tamaki
Yasuhiro
Y
Matsuzawa
Yuji
Y
Noguchi
Shinzaburo
S
D052242:Adiponectin; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D010298:Parity; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
D052242:Adiponectin; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins