Source
Division of Oncology, Department of Surgery, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. clement.adebamowo@+channing.harvard.edu
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between waist-hip ratio and the risk of breast cancer in an urban Nigerian population.
METHODS:
Between March 1998 and August 2000, we conducted a case-control study of hospital-based breast cancer patients (n = 234) and population-based controls (n = 273) using nurse interviewers in urban Southwestern Nigeria.
RESULTS:
Multivariable logistic regression showed a significant association between the highest tertile of waist-hip ratio and the risk of breast cancer (odds ratio= 2.67, 95% confidence interval = 1.05-6.80) among postmenopausal women. No association was found in premenopausal women.
CONCLUSION:
The present study, the first in an indigenous African population, supports other studies that have shown a positive association between obesity and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.