Obesity as prognostic factors in breast cancer

Breast cancer in Japan, with a marked increase in the incidence and mortality rate, has become similar to breast cancer of the European and American type in recent years. Obesity attendant upon changes in the dietary life style may be considered one of the main causes. It has been noted in many reports that the risk of breast cancer is high in obese elderly people [1,2]. However, the relationship between obesity and prognosis of breast cancer in Japan remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of obesity on the prognosis of breast cancer using the body mass index highly correlated with the thickness of subcutaneous fat as an index for obesity.