The Relationship between Anthropometric Indices and Breast Cancer in Central Iran

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Anthropometric indices have a debatable relationship with breast cancer (BC) among different ethnicity. In the current study, we have evaluated the relationship between anthropometric indices and BC in Iranian participants. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2014, a total of 7,805 women were enrolled from different 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 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). Postmenopausal women with Waist-Hip Ratio (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. CONCLUSION: Ethnicity appears to play an important role in the discrepancies between results of different studies about the correlation of anthropometric features with BC.