[Stoutness and prognosis of female non-metastatic breast cancer: results from a French observational cohort study].
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to study the prognostic value of stoutness in non-metastatic breast cancer, from a population of French women.


METHODS
We constituted a large observational cohort of patients followed since a first unilateral breast cancer without distant dissemination. Stoutness was assessed using the body mass index (BMI, in kg/m(2)) at the time of diagnosis. Patients were classified into the four main categories of BMI, defined according to the World Health Organization recommendations. The risk of prognosis events was analyzed according to the BMI categories. To this end, survival analyses were achieved.


RESULTS
The patients having a BMI value of at least 25 kg/m(2) presented significantly higher risks of death and metastasis recurrences when they were compared to the patients having a normal value of BMI. The multivariate analyses found a modest increase of risk, about 10 to 20%, depending on the degree of fatness. It reached about 20 to 50% according to the univariate analyses. The obese patients (BMI >or= 30 kg/m(2)) had an increase of 50% of the risk of second primary cancers, comparatively to the patients having a normal value of BMI. Regarding contralateral, nodal and local recurrences, the survival analyses did not achieve any significant relationship with stoutness.


CONCLUSIONS
A poorer prognosis is observed when breast cancer patients have a value of BMI that matches at least with overweight. Contrary to the results of few recent surveys, underweight patients do not present a poorer prognosis than normal weight patients. Excess of weight represents a modifiable factor in order to improve female breast cancer prognosis.
Majed
B
B
Service de biostatistiques, Institut Curie, Paris, France. bmajed@free.fr
Moreau
T
T
Senouci
K
K
Sigal
B
B
Salmon
R J
RJ
Fourquet
A
A
Asselain
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis