The association between body mass index and non-metastatic breast cancer disease free survival (DFS) and distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) in hormone receptor positive postmenopausal women treated with aromatase inhibitors
Obesity is a major health concern; research has linked obesity to increased breast cancer risk and poor survival outcome in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive disease. Suggesting that adiposity may reduce the therapeutic efficacy of endocrine therapies, leading to higher risks of recurrence. To examine the association of body mass index (BMI) with recurrence and survival. This retrospective study enrolled 76 postmenopausal women diagnosed with stage I to III hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors, attending the Clinical Oncology Department of Ain Shams University hospitals during the period from January 2016 to December 2022. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to perform survival analysis. Patients with BMI <34 had slightly higher 5-year DFS (85.4% vs. 82.8%; p = 0.586) and DMFS (88.3% vs. 84.9%; p = 0.869) compared to those with BMI >34. Across obesity classes, 5-year DFS ranged from 73.3% in Class III to 90.9% in Class II, with DMFS rates of 77.4% and 90.9%; none were statistically significant. BMI did not significantly influence survival outcomes in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors. Although survival tended to be lower with higher BMI, it was not statistically significant.