Increases in BMI, abdominal obesity linked to higher risk for male breast cancer
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Increases in BMI and abdominal obesity appeared associated with higher risk for male breast cancer, according to study results published in Cancer Epidemiology.
Rationale and methods
“Breast cancer is uncommon in men and knowledge about its causation limited. Obesity is a risk factor but there has been no investigation of whether weight change is an independent risk factor among men, as it is in women,” Anthony J. Swerdlow, FMedsci, epidemiologist and head of the epidemiology section at Institute of Cancer Research in England, and colleagues wrote.
In the national case-control study, trained research nurses interviewed 1,998 men with incident breast cancer in England and Wales and 1,597 male controls regarding risk factors for breast cancer. Researchers used logistic regression modeling to assess relative risks for breast cancer as it relates to alterations in BMI and waist/height ratios at various ages.
Key findings
Results showed a significant increase in breast cancer risk per 2 kg/m² increase in BMI between the ages of 20 and 40 years (OR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.17) and between the ages of 40 and 60 years (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.04-1.2).
Moreover, researchers observed an association of increased breast cancer risk with increasing adiposity between ages 11 and 20 years (OR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.3).
An increase in waist/height ratio from age 20 years to 5 years before diagnosis also significantly increased breast cancer risk (OR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.08-1.19).
Implications
The association between breast cancer risk and increased BMI and abdominal obesity could be associated with increased estrogen levels and requires further research, researchers noted.
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