Abstract 1767: Racial/ethnic disparities of obesity in a breast clinic population: Consideration for weight loss program in improving clinical outcomes

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Accumulating evidence suggest that obesity is associated with breast cancer diagnosis, recurrence, and mortality. Obese subjects with genetic predisposition may need more aggressive weight loss management, such as bariatric surgery. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to assess the racial/ethnic disparities in obesity and the prevalence of breast cancer study participants who may be eligible for bariatric surgery. Methods: In three clinic-based studies conducted at University of Miami during 2008 to 2015, we evaluated 462 healthy controls and 975 breast cancer patients. Genotyping data of two obesity-related genes (FTO and MC4R) were also evaluated. Race/ethnicity and obesity-related comorbidities were self- reported. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated as kg/m2. The classification of BMI was: (1) < 18.5, underweight; (2) 18.5-24.9, normal weight; (3) 25.0-29.9, overweight; (4) 30.0-34.9, class I obesity; (5) 35.0-39.9, class II obesity; and (6) ≥ 40.0, class III obesity. The NIH eligibility for bariatric surgery was for class II obese subjects with obesity-related comorbidities and class III obese subjects. Results: The study consists of 70.0% Hispanic whites (HW), 21.7% black or African American (AA), and 6.4% non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Mean and SD of age was 54.1± 9.9 years and mean BMI was 29.0±6.1 kg/m2. Overall, about 11.1% of study participants met criteria for bariatric surgery and there were significant racial/ethnic disparities (19.7% AA, 8.5% HW, 8.8% NHW, and 17.2% others; p<0.0001). Subgroup analysis observed increased BMI at follow up (29.60 vs. 29.16 kg/m2, p = 0.00229). Women with the AA risk genotype of rs1121980 (FTO gene) had 3.6-fold higher risk of obesity class II or III compared to those with the GG genotype (p = 0.00393). Conclusion: In addition to cancer risk, obesity is a major risk factor for cancer treatment-related side effects and worse survival. Our results suggest that at least 11% of breast cancer patients may be eligible for bariatric surgery. Considering some other beneficial effects of bariatric surgery on physical quality of life, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and microbiome, future studies will consider weight loss and bariatric surgery programs in breast cancer patients, particularly in underserved minorities with higher obesity rate and worse survival. Citation Format: Carolina Puyana Barcha, Eunkyung Lee, Cristiane Takita, Jean L. Wright, Wei Zhao, Isildinha M. Reis, Jennifer J. Hu. Racial/ethnic disparities of obesity in a breast clinic population: Consideration for weight loss program in improving clinical outcomes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1767.