Effects of anthropometric measures on breast cancer occurrence in central Iran

Background:Anthropometric indices have a debatable relationship with breast cancer (BC). Studies have suggested that this inconsistency in results is due to ethnicity. In this study, we have evaluated the relationship between anthropometric indices and BC in central Iran.Methods:Between 2012 and 2014 a total of 1191 BC cases and 6614 controls were enrolled from four main mammography centers in Isfahan province, Iran. For each participant, a detailed questionnaire was filled out and anthropometric indices were measured by trained technicians. We used conditional logistic regression models to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for BC risk associated with anthropometry measurements, stratified on menopausal status.Results:In the postmenopausal group, weight ≥ 68 Kg compared to weight < 61.75 Kg was associated with decreased risk of BC (OR= 0.78; 95% CI: 0.63-0.97). Furthermore, BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2 in comparison to BMI < 18.5 Kg/m2 was associated with decreased risk of BC (OR= 0.39; 95% CI: 0.16-0.99).Postmenopausal women with WHR ≥ 0.85 compared to WHR < 0.77 were at increased risk of BC (OR= 1.36; 95% CI: 1.07-1.73).Both premenopausal and postmenopausal women had a decreased risk of BC with higher Obesity Index (OI) and Relative Weight [1].Conclusion:It seems central obesity and body fat measures have a more consistent correlation with BC. Furthermore, ethnicity appears to play an important role in the discrepancies between results of different studies about correlation of anthropometric features with BC.