Body mass index and waist circumference are predictor biomarkers of breast cancer risk in Iranian women

Both obesity and breast cancer incidence increased dramatically during two recent decades in a rapidly changing society in northern Iran. In this study, we examined the ability of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as predictor biomarkers of breast cancer risk in Iranian women. In a case–control study of 100 new cases of histological confirmed breast cancer and 200 age-matched controls, in Babol, we measured weight, height, waist and hip circumference at time of diagnosis with standard methods. The data of demographic, characteristics, reproductive and lifestyle factors were collected by interview. We used both regression and receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis to estimate the predictive ability of BMI and WC for breast cancer as estimated by area under the curve (AUC). The results showed a significant difference in the mean of weight, BMI and WC between patients and controls in pre- and postmenopausal women (P < 0.001). While after adjusting for BMI, no longer an association between WC and breast cancer was found. The overall accuracy of observed BMI and WC were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.74–0.84) and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.61–0.74), respectively. The accuracy of BMI and WC were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.76–0.89), 0.75(0.67–0.83) for premenopausal and 0.77(0.68–0.85), 0.60 (0.50–0.71) for postmenopausal women, respectively. BMI and WC are predictor biomarkers of breast cancer risk in both pre- and postmenopausal Iranian women while after adjusting for BMI, no longer an association between WC and breast cancer was observed. These findings imply to perform breast cancer screening program in women with a higher BMI and WC.