The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and prognosis of breast cancer patients, and to evaluate the effect of BMI on survival, recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer patients. The main research questions include: the effect of BMI on the prognosis of breast cancer patients, the difference in survival of patients with different BMI, the relationship between BMI and breast cancer recurrence and metastasis, and the effect of BMI on PCR of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
The objectives of the study were as follows: 1) To investigate the relationship between BMI and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of breast cancer patients; 2) To evaluate the effect of BMI on breast cancer recurrence and metastasis; 3) To analyze the interaction between BMI and other clinical features of breast cancer; 4) To evaluate the association between changes in BMI and the outcome of breast cancer treatment (PCR as an outcome indicator).
Extensive studies have shown that high or low BMI is associated with breast cancer. Obesity is considered to be a risk factor for breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women, and may affect the occurrence and progression of cancer by increasing estrogen, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation in the body. Patients who are overweight or obese face a poorer prognosis, including higher rates of recurrence and mortality. Obesity may lead to increased resistance to treatment, while low body weight may affect patients’ nutritional status and treatment tolerance. Many studies have shown that obesity is closely related to the recurrence and metastasis of breast cancer, especially through activating insulin signaling pathways to promote tumor cell proliferation, metastasis and chemotherapy resistance. In addition, BMI is also associated with the clinical stage and molecular subtypes of breast cancer.
