Differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women with breast cancer for clinical characteristics and their correlates.
OBJECTIVE
Body size and ethnicity may influence breast cancer tumor characteristics at diagnosis. We compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (NHW) cases for stage of disease, estrogen receptor (ER) status, tumor size, and lymph node status, and the associations of these with body size in the 4-Corners Breast Cancer Study.


METHODS
One thousand five hundred twenty-seven NHW and 798 Hispanic primary incident breast cancer cases diagnosed between October 1999 and May 2004 were included. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by multiple logistic regression.


RESULTS
Hispanic women were more likely to have larger (>1 cm) ER- tumors and more than four positive lymph nodes (P < .003). Lymph node status was not associated with body size. However, among NHW women, obesity (body mass index >30) and increased waist circumference (>38.5 inches) were significantly positively associated with ER- tumor status (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.24-2.81 and OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.58-4.22, respectively). In contrast, among Hispanic women, obesity and waist circumference had inverse associations with ER- tumor status (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.29-0.84 and OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.30-1.05, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Hispanic ethnicity may modify the association of body size and composition with ER- breast cancer. This finding could have relevance to clinical treatment and prognosis.
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, KY 40202, USA. aeconn02@louisville.edu
Avonne E
AE
Connor
Richard N
RN
Baumgartner
Dongyan
D
Yang
Martha L
ML
Slattery
Anna R
AR
Giuliano
Betsy C
BC
Risendal
Madiha M
MM
Abdel-Maksoud
Kathy B
KB
Baumgartner
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D011960:Receptors, Estrogen