• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Waist circumference, body mass index, and postmenopausal breast cancer incidence in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort
  • Contributor: Gaudet, Mia M.; Carter, Brian D.; Patel, Alpa V.; Teras, Lauren R.; Jacobs, Eric J.; Gapstur, Susan M.
  • imprint: Springer, 2014
  • Published in: Cancer Causes & Control
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 0957-5243; 1573-7225
  • Origination:
  • Footnote:
  • Description: <p>Purpose: High body mass index (BMI) is an established risk factor for postmenopausal breast cancer. However, less is known about associations with waist circumference. In particular, it is unclear whether a larger waist circumference is associated with risk more than would be expected based solely on its contribution to BMI. Methods: We examined the associations of BMI and waist circumference with risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, with and without mutual adjustment, in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort. Analyses included 28,965 postmenopausal women who reported weight and waist circumference on a questionnaire in 1997 and were not taking menopausal hormones. Results: During a median follow-up of 11.58 years, 1,088 invasive breast cancer cases were identified. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were estimated from multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression models. Without adjustment for BMI, a larger waist circumference was associated with higher risk of breast cancer (per 10 cm increase in waist circumference, HR = 1.13, 95 % CI 1.08–1.19). However, adjustment for BMI eliminated the association with waist circumference (per 10 cm HR = 1.00, 95 % CI 0.92–1.08). BMI was associated with risk unadjusted for waist circumference (per 1 kg/m² HR = 1.04, 95 % CI 1.03–1.05) and adjusted for waist circumference (per 1 kg/m² HR = 1.04, 95 % CI 1.02–1.06). Conclusions: Our study of predominantly white women provides evidence that a larger waist circumference is associated with higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, but not beyond its contribution to BMI.</p>