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Body fat distribution as a risk factor of endometrial cancer
A Iemura1, T Douchi, S Yamamoto
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Objective:
To investigate the relative contributions of upper body fat distribution and overall adiposity to endometrial cancer risk.
Methods:
Subjects were 63 postmenopausal women with endometrial cancer aged less than 70 years and 201 age-matched controls. Age, age at menopause, years since menopause, height, weight, and body mass index were recorded at the time of admission. The trunk-leg fat ratio, body fat mass, trunk fat mass, and the percentage of body fat were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Results:
Trunk-leg fat ratio was higher in endometrial cancer patients than in controls (1.40 +/- 0.59 vs 1.23 +/- 0.39, p < 0.05). Whereas, other variables including age at menopause, percentage of body fat, body fat mass, and body mass index did not differ between the 2 groups. On stepwise multiple regression analysis, the trunk-leg fat ratio was still correlated with the presence of endometrial cancer (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
Upper body fat distribution rather than overall adiposity is associated with endometrial cancer risk.