Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann logoLink to Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann
. 1990 Aug;81(8):731–737. doi: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.1990.tb02637.x

Anthropometric Indicators of Breast Cancer Risk in Japanese Women in Fukuoka

Shinji Kyogoku 1,✉, Tomio Hirohata 1, Setsuko Takeshita 1, Yoshio Hirota 1, Takao Shigematsu 2
PMCID: PMC5918093  PMID: 2118887

Abstract

This study was based on a case‐control study of breast cancer risk in Fukuoka, which was initiated to identify risk factors for the disease. We re‐analyzed the data of the study to evaluate the association of breast cancer with anthropometric variables in postmenopausal women. Data were obtained through interviewing 121 cases with historically confirmed breast cancer and an equal number of age‐matched hospital controls as well as neighborhood controls. The variables used for analysis were; height, weight at various ages, shoe size, and brassiere size and body size indices (body surface area and various body build indices) computed from the height and weight data. In a multiple covariance analysis, the results showed that cases were slightly lighter in weight and smaller for some of the indices, but the differences were not statistically significant. The odds ratios, estimated by multiple logistic regression analysis, suggested that the cases were slightly shorter in height and smaller in shoe size without any consistent dose‐response gradients. The effect of changes in weight and body size indices with aging were also assessed, but no significant findings were observed. The results reported here do not support the hypothesis of the positive association between obesity or large body size and breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer, Body structure, Case‐control study, Obesity, Relative risk

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (350.3 KB).

REFERENCES

  • 1. ) “ Cancer Incidence in Five Continents, Vol. V ,” ed. Muir C. , Waterhouse J. , Mack T. , Powell J. , and Whelan S. , IARC Scientific Publications No. 88 , ( 1987. ). International Agency for Research on Cancer; , Lyon . [Google Scholar]
  • 2. ) Health Promotion and Nutrition Division , Health Service Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare “ The 1986 National Nutrition Survey in Japan ” ( 1988. ). Daiichi Shuppan Corporation; , Tokyo . [Google Scholar]
  • 3. ) Lubin , F. , Ruder , A. M. , Wax , Y. and Modan , B.Overweight and changes in weight throughout adult life in breast cancer etiology: a case‐control study . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 122 , 579 – 588 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 4. ) Mirra , A. P. , Cole , P. and MacMahon , B.Breast cancer in area of high parity: Sao Paulo, Brazil . Cancer Res. , 31 , 77 – 83 ( 1971. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 5. ) Paffenbarger , R. S. , Kampert , J. B. and Chang , H‐G.Characteristics that predict risk of breast cancer before and after the menopause . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 112 , 258 – 268 ( 1980. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 6. ) Hirohata , T. , Shigematsu , T. , Nomura , A. M. Y. , Nomura , Y. , Horie , A. and Hirohata , I.Occurrence of breast cancer in relation to diet and reproductive history: a case‐control study in Fukuoka, Japan . Natl. Cancer Inst. Monogr. , 69 , 187 – 190 ( 1985. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7. ) Gehan , E. A. and George , S. L.Estimation of human body surface area from height and weight . Cancer Chemother. Rep. , 54 , 225 – 235 ( 1970. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8. ) Fujimoto , S. and Watanabe , T.Studies on the body surface area of Japanese . Acta Med. Nagasaki , 13 , 1 – 13 ( 1969. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9. ) Benn , R. T.Some mathematical properties of weight‐for‐height indices used as measures of adiposity . Br. J. Prev. Soc. Med. , 25 , 42 – 50 ( 1971. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10. ) Palta , M. , Prineas , R. J. , Berman , R. and Hannan , P.Comparison of self‐reported weight and measured height and weight . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 115 , 223 – 230 ( 1982. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11. ) Lin , T. M. , Chen , K. P. and MacMahon , B.Epidemiologic characteristics of cancer of the breast in Taiwan . Cancer , 27 , 1497 – 1504 ( 1971. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12. ) Brisson , J. , Morrison , A. S. , Kopans , D. B. , Sadowsky , N. L. , Kalisher , L. , Twaddle , J. A. , Meyer , J. E. , Henschke , C. I. and Cole , P.Height and weight, mammographic features of breast tissue, and breast cancer risk . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 119 , 371 – 381 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13. ) Adami , H. O. , Rimsten , A. , Stenkvist , B. and Vegelius , J.Influence of height, weight, mammographic features of breast cancer in an unselected Swedish population . Br. J. Cancer , 36 , 787 – 792 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14. ) Willett , W. C. , Browne , M. L. , Bain , C. , Lipnick , R. J. , Stampfer , M. J. , Rosner , B. , Colditz , G. A. , Hennekens , C. H. and Speizer , F. E.Relative weight and risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 122 , 731 – 740 ( 1985. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15. ) Valaoras , V. G. , MacMahon , B. , Trichopoulos , D. and Polychronopoulou , A.Lactation and reproductive histories of breast cancer patients in Greater Athens, 1965–67 . Int. J. Cancer , 4 , 350 – 363 ( 1969. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16. ) Takatani , A.The results of the 42nd Japan Mammary Cancer Society questionnaring . Epidemiologic information on breast cancer: case‐control study. (First report) ( 1985. ) ( in Japanese ).
  • 17. ) Burch , J. D. , Howe , G. R. and Miller , A. B.Breast cancer in relation to weight in women aged 65 years and over . Can. Med. Assoc. J. , 124 , 1326 – 1327 ( 1981. ). [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18. ) Helmrich , S. P. , Shapiro , S. , Rosenberg , L. , Kaufman , D. W. , Slone , D. , Bain , C. , Miettinen , O. S. , Stolley , P. D. , Rosenshein , N. B. , Knapp , R. C. , Leavitt , T. , Jr. , Schottenfeld , D. , Engle , R. L. , Jr. and Levy , M.Risk factors for breast cancer . Am. J. Epidemiol. , 117 , 35 – 45 ( 1983. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19. ) De Waard , F. , Cornelis , J. P. , Aoki , K. and Yoshida , M.Breast cancer incidence according to weight and height in two cities of the Netherlands and in Aichi Prefecture, Japan . Cancer , 40 , 1269 – 1275 ( 1977. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20. ) Talamini , R. , La Vecchia , C. , Decarli , A. , Franceshi , S. , Grattoni , E. , Grigoletto , E. , Liberti , A. and Tognoni , G.Social factors, diet and breast cancer in Northern Italian population . Br. J. Cancer , 49 , 723 – 729 ( 1984. ). [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21. ) Schatzkin , A. , Palmer , J. R. , Rosenberg , L. , Helmrich , S. P. , Miller , D. R. , Kaufman , D. W. , Lesko , S. M. and Shapiro , S.Risk factors for breast cancer in black women . J. Natl. Cancer Inst. , 78 , 213 – 217 ( 1987. ). [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22. ) Kolonel , L. N. , Nomura , A. M. Y. , Lee , J. and Hirohata , T.Anthropometric indicators of breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women in Hawaii . Nutr. Cancer , 8 , 247 – 256 ( 1986. ). [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Japanese Journal of Cancer Research : Gann are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES