BMC Cancer (Apr 2017)

Glucose and lipoprotein biomarkers and breast cancer severity using data from the Swedish AMORIS cohort

  • Jennifer C Melvin,
  • Hans Garmo,
  • Lars Holmberg,
  • Niklas Hammar,
  • Göran Walldius,
  • Ingmar Jungner,
  • Mats Lambe,
  • Mieke Van Hemelrijck

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-017-3232-6
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Background The lipid and glucose metabolisms are postulated as possible intermediary mechanisms in linking obesity and breast cancer (BC). Links between serum lipid and glucose biomarkers and BC risk has been observed in the Swedish Apolipoprotein MORtality RISk (AMORIS) cohort. We conducted a follow-up analysis including information on tumour characteristics. Methods One thousand eight hundred twenty-four women diagnosed with BC, with serum biomarker levels of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol (total, HDL, and LDL), and apolipoproteins A-1 and B recorded in a routine health check at baseline were included. BC severity was split into categories (good, moderate, and poor prognosis) based on ER status, TNM stage, and age at diagnosis. Proportional odds models were used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), with the interval time between baseline measurement and BC diagnosis accounted for. Results Serum glucose and the ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio showed a non-statistically significant positive association with BC severity (proportional OR: 1.25 (95%CI: 0.92–1.70) for glucose (</≥ 5.60 mmol/L) and 1.31 (95%CI: 0.97–1.76) for ApoB/A-1 ratio (</≥ 1). The proportion of severe and moderate BC was modestly greater across all abnormal serum biomarker groups. Conclusions Despite the size and detail of data in AMORIS, we only found a modest positive association between serum levels of glucose, apoB/ApoA-1 and BC severity, suggesting that these factors are not the main players in linking obesity and BC aggressiveness.

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