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Obesity and Breast Cancer

New Study Links Fat Cells to More Aggressive Disease

Mar 23, 2008 Jacqueline Risher

Overweight breast cancer patients are more likely to have a more aggressive form of the disease and die sooner, new research indicates.

Researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas have found a link between obesity and a more deadly form of breast cancer, known as inflammatory breast cancer. Inflammatory breast cancer is so named because the cancer cells block the lymph vessels, causing the skin of the breast to look inflamed, swollen, and red. While this is a rare type of cancer, the risk of developing inflammatory breast cancer increases with weight: 15% of patients of a healthy weight are diagnosed with this disease compared to 30% of overweight patients, and 45% of obese patients.

Over 600 women with breast cancer were included in this study. The women were classified according to their body mass index, or BMI, which is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. Women with BMIs below 25 are considered to be at a healthy weight, those with BMIs of 25-29 are designated overweight, and those with BMIs of 30 or above are considered clinically obese. The five year survival rates of the women were then followed: approximately 56% of women classified as either overweight or obese were alive five years after diagnosis compared to 67% of women of a normal weight. Researchers think the reason that weight seems to be a factor may be that fat tissue increases the inflammation that leads to this form of disease. Fat cells also produce various chemicals and hormones that can fuel cancer. While more research is needed to better understand this link, this study may provide one more reason for women to stay at a healthy weight.

Approximately half of women diagnosed with this disease are alive five years after diagnosis and one-third survive 20 years after their diagnosis. One reason inflammatory breast cancer has lower survival rates that other types of breast cancer is that it is more likely to have spread to other areas of the body (metastasize) at the time of diagnosis than other types of the disease. Catching the disease early may be a key to improving patient outcome, but this is made difficult by the fact that a distinct breast lump is not always present in this form of the disease. Instead, symptoms can include redness, warmth, bruising, pitted skin, fluid build-up, heaviness, burning, aching, and / or tenderness of the breast. These symptoms can develop quickly over weeks or months. Treatment for inflammatory breast cancer generally starts with chemotherapy and also includes surgery and radiation.

Calculate your Body Mass Index: NHLBisupport

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The copyright of the article Obesity and Breast Cancer in General Medicine is owned by Jacqueline Risher. Permission to republish Obesity and Breast Cancer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.