[Advances in studies on metabolic syndrome and breast cancer]

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in women. Over these years, the morbidity of metabolic syndrome (MS) has also been increasing in China, probably due to changes in economies and lifestyles. As a result, the association to between these two diseases has at tracted much attention. Results demonstrated the presence of MS was associated with breast cancer risk, and the risk became higher when more MS components were present compared to no components. Moreover, a specific association was indicated between MS and breast cancer recurrence and metastasis to some extent as well. Further, for breast cancer patients, being diagnosed with MS can increase the mortality and lead to poor prognosis. The mechanisms underlying the association is not clear yet, but several factors are speculated to be the possible causes, including the elevated level of insulin, insulin like growth factor-1, leptin and pro-inflammatory cytokines, the decreased level of adiponectin as well as the interaction between DBC1 and SIRT1. The prognosis of patients with breast cancer combined MS can be improved by means of changing diet habits, increasing physical activities and drug-intervention. Although the specific mechanisms underlying the association are still need to be elucidated, better understanding of the association must help us with new strategies for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.