Maintaining a healthy body weight is important for all patients. But this is especially true for women with a breast cancer diagnosis, as an analysis of the California Teachers Study has shown a correlation between breast cancer deaths and body mass index (BMI).
Obesity (defined as BMI ≥30 kg/m²) increased a woman’s risk of dying of her breast cancer by 69%, compared with a woman with a BMI <25. For patients who were overweight at 18 years of age (defined as BMI 25-29), a similar increased risk in breast cancer mortality was detected.
In addition, the association between obesity and breast cancer mortality is greatest among obese women who are diagnosed with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive cancer. According to the retrospective data analysis, ER-positive, obese women participating in the study had a 64% increased risk of death from breast cancer, compared with those with a BMI <25.
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