Adipose tissue fatty acids in breast cancer patients versus healthy control women from Crete.
BACKGROUND
Few studies have implemented biomarkers of fatty acid intake in relation to breast cancer.


OBJECTIVE
To examine possible differences in adipose tissue fatty acid composition between breast cancer patients and healthy control women. The relationship between tumor promotion and adipose tissue fatty acid synthesis was also investigated.


METHODS
The study was conducted at the University of Crete. Subjects included 94 women with clinically diagnosed cancer of the breast and 131 healthy control women. Histological tumor grading and breast cancer staging were assessed. Fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography in gluteal adipose tissue.


RESULTS
Conditional logistic regression analysis controlling for potential confounders indicated that elevated adipose monounsaturated fatty acids and oleic acid are associated with reduced odds of breast cancer [OR (T2 vs. T1) 0.15; 95% CI 0.03-0.64, and OR (T2 vs. T1) 0.18; 95% CI 0.04-0.71, respectively]. Adipose myristic acid was associated with an increase in breast cancer risk [OR (T3 vs. T1) 5.66; 95% CI 1.3-23.9].


CONCLUSIONS
Adipose oleic acid is inversely related, whereas adipose myristic acid is positively related to breast cancer risk. These relations could be mediated by Her-2/neu and FAS oncogenes.
Mamalakis
G
G
Department of Social Medicine, Preventive Medicine and Nutrition Unit, School of Medicine, University of Crete, PO Box 2208, Heraklion GR-710 03, Greece. geor40@yahoo.com
Hatzis
C
C
de Bree
E
E
Sanidas
E
E
Tsiftsis
D D
DD
Askoxylakis
J
J
Daskalakis
M
M
Tsibinos
G
G
Kafatos
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D002081:Buttocks; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D019814:Myristic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000737:chemistry*; D047368:Tumor Burden; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D005227:Fatty Acids; D019814:Myristic Acid; D019301:Oleic Acid