ArticleBreast cancer research : BCR2015
The effect of weight change on changes in breast density measures over menopause in a breast cancer screening cohort.
Article in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association between mammographic density and breast cancer risk in Chinese women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC women's health · 2024Pooled it
- Breast Density Changes after Risk-Reducing Salpingo-oophorectomy in Women with a Pathogenic Germline Variant in BRCA1 or BRCA2.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2025Article
- Differentiation of histological calcification classifications in breast cancer using ultrashort echo time and chemical shift-encoded imaging MRI.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- Factors Associated with Longitudinal Changes in Mammographic Density in a Multiethnic Breast Screening Cohort of Postmenopausal Women.The breast journal · 2023Article
- Factors Influencing Mammographic Density in Asian Women: A Retrospective Cohort Study in the Northeast Region of Peninsular Malaysia.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on breast tissue composition: a longitudinal mammographic study with automated volumetric measurement.European radiology · 2020Article
- Alcohol and Tobacco Use in Relation to Mammographic Density in 23,456 Women.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2020Article
- Density and tailored breast cancer screening: practice and prediction - an overview.Acta radiologica open · 2018Article
- Docosahexaenoic Acid in Combination with Dietary Energy Restriction for Reducing the Risk of Obesity Related Breast Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2017Review
- Adiposity, breast density, and breast cancer risk: epidemiological and biological considerations.European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2017Review
- Body size in early life and risk of breast cancer.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2017Article
- The relationship between breast size and aspects of health and psychological wellbeing in mature-aged women.Women's health (London, England)Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionHigh weight and high percentage mammographic breast density are both breast cancer risk factors but are negatively correlated. Therefore, we wanted to obtain more insight into this apparent paradox.
methodsWe investigated in a longitudinal study how weight change over menopause is related to changes in mammographic breast features. Five hundred ninety-one participants of the EPIC-NL cohort were divided into three groups according to their prospectively measured weight change over menopause: (1) weight loss (more than -3.0 %), (2) stable weight (between -3.0 % and +3.0 %), and (3) weight gain (more than 3.0 %). SPSS GLM univariate analysis was used to determine both the mean breast measure changes in, and the trend over, the weight change groups.
resultsOver a median period of 5 years, the mean changes in percent density in these groups were -5.0 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) -8.0; -2.1), -6.8 % (95 % CI -9.0; -4.5), and -10.2 % (95 % CI -12.5; -7.9), respectively (P-trend = 0.001). The mean changes in dense area were -16.7 cm(2) (95 % CI -20.1; -13.4), -16.4 cm(2) (95 % CI -18.9; -13.9), and -18.1 cm(2) (95 % CI -20.6; -15.5), respectively (P-trend = 0.437). Finally, the mean changes in nondense area were -6.1 cm(2) (95 % CI -11.9; -0.4), -0.6 cm(2) (95 % CI -4.9; 3.8), and 5.3 cm(2) (95 % CI 0.9; 9.8), respectively (P-trend < 0.001).
conclusionsGoing through menopause is associated with a decrease in both percent density and dense area. Owing to an increase in the nondense tissue, the decrease in percent density is largest in women who gain weight. The decrease in dense area is not related to weight change. So the fact that both high percent density and high weight or weight gain are associated with high postmenopausal breast cancer risk can probably not be explained by an increase (or slower decrease) of dense area in women gaining weight compared with women losing weight or maintaining a stable weight. These results suggest that weight and dense area are presumably two independent postmenopausal breast cancer risk factors.
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