Impact of body mass index on cancer development.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on cancer in a hospital-based Turkish population.


METHODS
The study group consisted of 2015 (1172 females: 423 pre- and 749 postmenopausal; and 843 males) patients with histologically proven cancer who applied to Marmara University Medical School, Medical Oncology Clinic. The control group included 305 healthy caregivers (192 females: 110 pre- and 82 postmenopausal; and 113 males).


RESULTS
Mean BMI of the patients with breast, ovarian and cervical carcinoma was significantly higher than that of the healthy female controls (p<0.001, 0.003, <0.001, respectively). Postmenopausal breast cancer patients had significantly higher BMI than postmenopausal female controls (odds ratio [OR] 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.6; p=0.012), while this was not seen in premenopausal patients. When compared with controls obese postmenopausal female patients had 3.26-fold (95% CI 1.54-6.90) increased risk for breast cancer (p=0.002). Mean BMI of lung, stomach, esophagus, pancreas and head and neck carcinoma patients was significantly lower than that of the healthy controls. Female patients with lung and colorectal carcinoma had higher BMI than female controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated BMI might be a risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Case-control studies may not show the actual association between BMI and cancers that present with pre-diagnosis weight loss and advanced stage.
Yumuk
P Fulden
PF
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Marmara University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey. fuldenyumuk@superonline.com
Dane
F
F
Yumuk
V D
VD
Yazici
D
D
Ege
B
B
Bekiroglu
N
N
Toprak
A
A
Iyikesici
S
S
Basaran
G
G
Turhal
N S
NS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors