Is there a link between BMI and breast cancer?
Breast cancer affects nearly 54,062 women each year. It is recognized as the first female cancer, the most common. Many screenings are done betweenthe ages of 40 and 60, although it is advisable to do regular screenings well in advance. Indeed, 1 in 9 women has breast cancer, and a number of cancers occur before the age of 40.
Doing regular tests is one of the first preventive actions that women can perform. We will see in this article if there is a link between BMI and breast cancer.
BMI and breast cancer
A lot of research has found a possible link between body weight – essentially overweight – and cancer, thus a link between BMIand breast cancer.
Weight then plays an important role. Overweight is not only favorable to certain cancers, including breast cancer in women, but also favorable to relapse after remission. For this reason, it is considered carcinogenic itself.
The Karolinska Institute in Sweden has found a definite link between being overweight and the development of this cancer. Therefore, it turned out that women whose body weight is over 25 should be followed even more often than other women.
Overweight and obesity would prevent this cancer from being properly screened. In other words, the corpulence hinders the possibility of detecting itin time. This cancer becomes particularly virulent when the cancerous tumor is two centimeters long. However, in overweight women, it is often impossible to realize the tumor before it reaches – and even exceeds – this circumference.
Like all cancers, the earlier it is detected, the greater the chance of survival and rapid remission.
A meta-analysis, by Renehan et al, proved that after menopause, a12% increase in chance of having this cancer would be possible, and even likely. Especially in overweight women, although menopause, according to the same study, would be a natural trigger in itself. This analysis helps explain the reasoning that women who have reached age 40 should be screened more regularly. Foroverweight women, a closer interval between the two tests would be preferableand highly recommended.
Does BMI have a role in the different symptoms of this disease?
The size of the tumor is greater in overweight women. Indeed, it is difficult to detect it before it reaches a critical size: two centimeters. This diameter means that the tumor is more swollen, therefore more virulent, and that it will therefore be more difficult to treat and cure.
Lymph node invasion will therefore be greater depending on body size. The greater this will be, the more the tumor and the lymph nodes will gain ground. The reason is simple: the tumor is less easily seen, and therefore less well, in overweight women. Detecting it in time becomes more complex.
Early warning symptoms:
- Feeling a lump in the breast. It is not painful, but increases the size of the breast.
- Lymph nodes located in the armpit. Breast cancer spreads, but again, these nodes are often painless.
- Redness or edema in the breast, as well as warmth there, as the blood raises the body temperature in order to eliminate toxins. At this time, the tumor may become painful.
- Nausea and loss of appetite may also occur…
In women with a BMI greater than or equal to 25 (obesity) all these signs are difficult to decipher, in particular, the first warning sign: the feeling of a lump in the chest. This will not be felt immediately. When the redness sets in, the tumor has already reached a critical stage.
This is called inflammatory cancer: the chest will become red, hot and show swelling. This cancer is more common in obese patients (about 11%), due to the difficulty of detecting this cancer among overweight women. This once again proves the link between BMI and breast cancer.
Lean and thin women correspond to about 2% of this type of cancer, women with a normal BMI (from 18 to 25) correspond to 6% and those who are overweight to 9%.
The risks of cancer recurrence as well as metastases are the same among all these women, although recurrence happens more quickly in overweight women. The time to appearance of metastases also.
Breast cancer remission and survival: the relationship with BMI?
The difference between survival chances based on BMI is smalltag. Nevertheless, the fact that women with a BMI over 25 are more difficult and slower to detect makes their cancer more virulent.
Indeed, on the other women, the cancer will be treated as soon as the appearance of the tumor – the lump in the breast – is noted.
Dr. Jennifer Ligibel, an oncologist, conducted a study on several women with this cancer. She obtained this result: 32.6% of these women had a so-called normal body weight, for 32.9% of overweight women and 49% of menopausal.
However, this study also showed another result regarding the link between BMI and breast cancer. Progression-free survival reaches up to 70% of overweight and obese women. Medicine manages to stabilize the cancer, without however stopping it completely, because the risk of recurrence in these women is very high.
A healthy diet, the practice of regular physical activityand a healthy lifestyle contribute to improving health. It also helps to give yourself a better chance of remission. Promoting a healthier and more balanced lifestyle is another preventive action to take, especially among overweight people.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.