Breast cancer incidence in ex-smokers in relation to body mass index, weight gain and blood lipid levels

According to several studies breast cancer is more common among former smok ers. This study explores whether this association has any relationship with anthropometric measurements or blood lipid levels. The 2082 ex-smokers (me an age 49.9 years) in the Malmo Preventive Cohort were followed for an aver age of 13.3 years using official cancer registries. This yielded 93 inciden t breast cancer cases. Oestrogen receptor (ER) status was assessed by an im munological method. Incidence of breast cancer covaried with height, body m ass index, weight gain and cholesterol levels. None of these associations r eached statistical significance. Incidence of breast cancer increased over quartiles of serum triglycerides, P-trend: 0.02, relative risk (RR) for tri glycerides as a continuous variable: 1.46 (1.21-1.77). Nineteen tumours wer e ER negative; this subgroup was similarly related to high triglycerides, 1 .76 (1.40-2.21). All results were similar when BMI and cholesterol levels w ere entered into the model. It is concluded that breast cancer incidence co varies with triglyceride levels in ex-smokers. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.