Romanian Medical Journal (Mar 2021)
Outcome of breast cancer patients regarding obesity and complications: Analysis of risk factors
Abstract
Introduction. Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Romania. In the context in which the treatments available for this pathology have increased curability, the identification of negative prognostic factors involved in the evolution of this disease seems essential to improve the overall survival as well as the time to disease progression. Aim. The aim of this study is to identify the role of prognostic factors such as ki67 proliferation index, the presence of tumour estrogen receptors, HER2 overexpression, the presence of secondary determinations at diagnosis, the association of obesity and type II diabetes. Methods. 50 patients diagnosed with breast cancer treated in the Elias University Emergency Hospital Bucharest were retrospectively followed, for which the progression was documented at the time of elaboration of this study. Thus, a database was developed in which data were entered on age, body mass index, immunohistochemical characteristics of breast tumours, the presence/absence of metastases at diagnosis and the association of type II diabetes. Statistical calculations were performed to highlight a possible correlation between obesity (quantified by measuring body mass index) and tumour aggressiveness (quantified by ki67 proliferation index) as well as statistical evaluation of potential prognostic factors that would influence time, until the disease progresses. Results. Within this group, no correlation could be established between the presence of an increased body mass index and the value of the ki67 proliferation index (p = 0.38). The mean value of the body mass index for this group of unselected patients was 28.76 ± 4.81 (DS) most patients are therefore overweight or obese. The factors involved in the evolution of breast cancer that influenced the early progression of the disease were: the proliferation index ki67 (p <0.05), the presence of metastases at diagnosis (p < 0.0001) and the association of type II diabetes (p = 0.0085). The value of the body mass index did not influence the time to disease progression according to statistical calculations in this group probably due to the small number of normal weight patients included (p = 0.34).
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