Body size, weight change, fat distribution and breast cancer risk in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women.
BACKGROUND
The incidence of breast cancer varies among women living in the Southwestern part of the US. We evaluate how body size influences breast cancer risk among these women.


METHODS
Cases (n = 2,325) diagnosed with breast cancer between October 1, 1999 and May 2004 residing in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, or Utah were matched to controls (n = 2,525). Participants were interviewed; height, weight, waist, and hip circumference were measured at the time of interview; blood was drawn.


RESULTS
A large body mass index (BMI) at age 15 was inversely associated with pre-menopausal breast cancer risk in both non-Hispanic white (NHW) and Hispanic women (Odds ratio, ORs 0.68 95% CI 0.44, 1.04, and 0.65 95% CI 0.39, 1.08, respectively); BMI at age 15 also had an impact on subsequent breast cancer associated with obesity after menopause. Among post-menopausal women, recent exposure to hormones was an important modifier of risk associated with body size. Among women not recently exposed to hormones risk associated with obesity was 1.61 (95% CI 1.05, 2.45) for NHW women; gaining > or = 25 kg between 15 and age 50 was inversely associated with breast cancer among Hispanic women (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.23, 1.14). A large weight gain and a large waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was associated with an increased odds of having an estrogen receptor negative tumor among NHW only (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.07, 3.08, and 2.04 95% CI 1.20,3.50).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the metabolic consequences of obesity on breast cancer risk differ between NHW and Hispanic women living in the Southwest.
Slattery
Martha L
ML
Health Research Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84117, USA. mslatter@hrc.utah.edu
Sweeney
Carol
C
Edwards
Sandra
S
Herrick
Jennifer
J
Baumgartner
Kathy
K
Wolff
Roger
R
Murtaugh
Maureen
M
Baumgartner
Richard
R
Giuliano
Anna
A
Byers
Tim
T
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D001835:Body Weight; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen