Relationship between obesity and survival in advanced breast cancer.

Abstract

e11044 Background: Breast cancer is the second cause of cancer-related deaths. Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation of fat. The body mass index (BMI) indicates relationship between weight and height and is used to identify obesity, which is associated with increased risk of cancer. Studies have shown the worst prognosis of obese patients undergoing adjuvant therapy. This paper aims to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in relation to BMI, in patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed medical records of 132 patients treated in the IONC from 2005 to 2010. We divided the patients into two groups: group A, BMI <30 (not obese), Group B, BMI ≥ 30 (obese). Analysis of SG and TLP were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results: The PFS for group A was 16.44 months, and for group B it was 13.08 (p = 0.40). OS was 31.93 and 27.12, respectively (p = 0.31). Regarding BMI and menopausal status, we observed a marked increase in survival for non-obese premenopausal patients with statistical significance. See table below. Conclusions: Patients with BMI <30 had higher survival rates, without reaching statistical significance. This could be due to small sample size and heterogeneity. Another relevant finding is the statistically significant difference in survival that favors premenopausal patients with lower BMI, which raises an area to be studied. This work demonstrates the importance of guiding patients towards a healthier life habit. [Table: see text] [Table: see text]