Physical activity and breast cancer risk by pathological subtype

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality globally.
• Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle factor with potential implications for cancer prevention.
• International guidelines exist for physical activity, but their specific impact on breast cancer risk requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between physical activity levels and breast cancer risk.
• To determine if adherence to international physical activity recommendations reduces breast cancer risk.
• To explore these associations across different menopausal statuses and tumor subtypes.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter matched case-control study involving 698 pairs.
• Recreational physical activity quantified using metabolic equivalent hours per week (MET-h/week).
• Conditional and multinomial logistic regression models used to assess associations with breast cancer risk.

Main Results:

• Increased physical activity (6 MET-h/week) was associated with a 5% decreased risk of premenopausal breast cancer.
• Postmenopausal women required more intense exercise for observed benefits.
• Physically inactive women had a 71% higher risk compared to those meeting recommendations (P=0.001).

Conclusions:

• Adherence to international physical activity recommendations significantly decreases risk across all breast cancer subtypes.
• This finding is particularly relevant in regions like Spain experiencing rising obesity rates.
• Promoting physical activity is crucial for breast cancer prevention strategies.