Obesity and outcomes in premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer

Abstract

Purpose: Obesity is associated with adverse outcomes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. In premenopausal women, the association is less clear. Methods: A population-based sample of 1,360 Australian women with breast cancer before the age of 60 years, 47% diagnosed before age 40, and 74% premenopausal, was studied prospectively for a median of 5 years (range, 0.2-10.8 years). Obesity was defined as a body mass index of ≥30 kg/m2. The hazard ratio (HR) for adverse clinical outcome associated with obesity was estimated using Cox proportional hazard survival models. Results: Obesity increased with age (P < 0.001) and was associated with increased breast cancer recurrence (P = 0.02) and ..