I. Dentonkelaar et al., A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY ON OBESITY AND SUBCUTANEOUS FAT PATTERNING IN RELATION TO BREAST-CANCER IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN PARTICIPATING IN THE DOM PROJECT, British Journal of Cancer, 69(2), 1994, pp. 352-357
The associations of body fat and body fat distribution with breast can
cer risk were examined in a prospective study in 9,746 post-menopausal
women with a natural menopause, aged 49-66 at intake, participating i
n a breast cancer screening project (the DOM project in Utrecht). Duri
ng a follow-up period of 15 years (mean follow-up time 12.5 years) 260
women developed breast cancer. Fat distribution, assessed by contrast
ing groups of subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness, was found to
be unrelated to breast cancer incidence. No significant relationship
between body fat, measured either by weight, Quetelet's index, triceps
skinfold or subscapular skinfold, and breast cancer risk was found wh
en analysed in quartiles. However, women in the upper decile compared
with the lower decile of the distribution of Quetelet's index were fou
nd to have a 1.9 times (95% CI 1.1-3.3) higher risk for breast cancer.
These results seemed to be in contrast with the significant positive
association between fatness, analysed in quartiles, and breast cancer
observed in a cross-sectional study, based on mammographic screening,
carried out previously in the same population. Although the difference
s between the present, prospective, study and our cross-sectional stud
y may be due to chance it may be that there are differences between ch
aracteristics of breast cancer detected at screening and subsequently,
which influence the associations between;measures of fatness and risk
of breast cancer.