Impact of the obesity on lymph node status in operable breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Although many studies have shown association of obesity and tumor size, the association with the lymph node status is not clear. We examined the relationship of the lymph node status and obesity and other possible factors in early breast cancer patients. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, 1295 breast cancer patients who had axillary dissection were included. Patients were grouped according to their body mass index (BMI) values at the time of diagnosis. We analyzed the relationship between BMI and patient and tumor characteristics, especially lymph node status. RESULTS: The median patient age was 48 years (range 20- 84). Of the patients 69.6% had modified radical mastectomy and the remaining 30.4% had breast-conserving surgery and axillary dissection. Median BMI of the patients was 27.2 kg/m(2) and 33.1% (N-429) of them had normal BMI, 36% (N-471) were overweight and 30.5% (N=395) were obese at the time of the diagnosis. Of the patients, 44.2% had N0 disease, and 55.8% had lymph node metastasis. N1 disease had 28.3% (N=367), 13.8% (N=179) had N2 and 13.7% (N=177) had N3 disease. When patients were classified as normal (≤24.9 kg/m(2)) and obese (>24.9 kg/m(2)) group, the total number of lymph nodes removed was higher in the obese group and this difference was statistically significant (18.12±10.48 and 20.36±11.37, respectively, p= 0.001). There was strong correlation between the number of the dissected lymph nodes and BMI (r=0.11; p<0.001). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between the number of metastatic lymph nodes and BMI. The mean number of the dissected and involved lymph nodes was higher in the HER2 positive group compared to the negative ones (21 vs 19, p=0.008; 6 vs 3, p<0.001; respectively) CONCLUSION: The number of the dissected lymph nodes was slightly higher in obese patients but there was no correlation between metastatic lymph node number and BMI. The number of the dissected and involved lymph nodes was higher in the HER2 positive group.

The prognostic impact of obesity on molecular subtypes of breast cancer in premenopausal women.

PURPOSE: The increasing incidence of obesity throughout the world will result in expansion of the number of women at risk for developing breast cancer. Obesity is associated with adverse outcomes in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. In premenopausal women, the association is less clear. We investigated the impact of obesity on tumor features, hormonal status, recurrence and mortality in premenopausal breast cancer patients, classified according to molecular subtypes. METHODS: 818 premenopausal women with nonmetastatic breast cancer were analysed. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to body mass index (BMI): i) normal body weight (BMI: 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)); ii) overweight (BMI: 25-29.9 kg/ m(2)); and iii) obese (BMI:>30 kg/ m(2)). Clinocopathologic characteristics and survival rates were analyzed for triple negative, HER-2 overexpressing and luminal subtypes. RESULTS: Obese patients compared with normal-weight women were older at diagnosis (p<0.001) and more often had high grade tumor (57.1 vs 42.3%; p=0.04) with lymphovascular invasion (79.5 vs 63.9%; p=0.03). The median follow-up period after diagnosis was 29 months. According to the molecular subtypes, overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were significantly shorter in obese patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (p=0.001 and p=0.006, respectively). Obesity (HR 1.4; 95% CI 1.0-2.1; p=0.04) and lymphovascular invasion (HR 2.1; 95% CI 1.3- 3.3; p=0.02) were found to be independent prognostic factors for TNBC mortality. CONCLUSION: Obesity is associated with estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) negative tumors and poor OS in premenopausal women with breast cancer.

Association between family history and clinicopathologic characteristics in 1987 breast cancer patients: single institution experience from Turkey.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival of patients with family history of breast/ ovarian cancer (FHBOC). METHODS: In this study with 1987 breast cancer patients, we analyzed their tumor characteristics and outcomes, as well as the total number, degree and age of affected relatives, and their type of cancer. Results were assessed using Pearson chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: 24.1% (n=479) of the patients had FHBOC. Patients with FHBOC were younger (47.7 vs. 49.1 years; p=0.03) and tended to have node-negative breast cancer (45.4 vs. 39.8%; p=0.006). The median overall survival (OS) was shorter in patients with FHBOC with a borderline p-value (p=0.063), compared to patients with no family history. The median OS was shorter in patients who had ≥ 2 relatives with breast cancer (p=0.014), in those having first degree relatives with breast cancer, presenting with metastatic disease (p= 0.020). FHBOC patients with triple negative breast cancer had the highest risk of death (p<0.0001) and recurrence (p<0.0001). Patients who had at least one relative with breast cancer aged ≤ 50 years were also at increased risk of recurrence (p7equals;0.006). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients with FH7horbar;BOC are younger, tend to have small tumor size, node-negative disease and their survival is shorter compared to patients without family history. This is the first study evaluating the clinicopathologic differences of patients with and without FHBOC in Turkish population.