Recurrence of breast cancer. Obesity, tumor size, and axillary lymph node metastases

Abstract

Substantially different conclusions have been reached by several studies about relationships between mammary cancer and obesity. Consecutive patients (106) who underwent mastectomy for breast cancer were studied retrospectively. No association was found between obesity and the frequency or time of recurrence. The sample did reaffirm that recurrence of breast cancer is related to tumor size and nodal status. Obesity was related to tumor size and nodal status. Prior findings that obese patients with pathologically similar breast tumors had a poor prognosis was not confirmed.