Diet and risk for breast cancer recurrence and survival

Dietary factors may influence the risk for breast cancer and also the prognosis following diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to assess whether self-reported prediagnosis diet or other patient factors associated with breast cancer incidence were predictive of recurrence and survival. Patients (n = 149) diagnosed with primary breast cancer between 1989 and 1991 were followed for five or more years. Total energy (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.58, 95%, confidence interval (CI) = 1.05, 2.38) as well as total (HR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.05; 2.01), saturated (HR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.05; 3.04), and monounsaturated (HR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.09; 2.49) fat intakes were associated with increased risk, and energy-adjusted bread and cereal consumption (HR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.33; 0.93) with decreased risk of recurrence. Both total energy (HR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.03; 2.43) and polyunsaturated fat (HR = 1.84; 95% CI = 1.09; 3.13) intakes were associated with an increased risk of death. All associations between dietary fat and recurrence and survival attenuated following energy adjustment. Oral contraceptive use (HR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.03; 1.60), lymph node positive status (HR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.01; 5.49), and tumor stage (HR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.02; 4.81) were associated with increased risk of recurrence. Tumor stage (HR = 4.96; 95% CI = 1.86; 13.23), lymph node positive status (HR = 3.31; 95% CI = 1.38; 7.95), and estrogen receptor negative status (HR = 2.46; 95% CI = 1.02; 5.94) were associated with increased risk, and arm muscle circumference (HR = 0.27; 95% CI = 0.09; 0.86) and mammographic utilization (HR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.61; 0.98) with decreased risk of death. Higher levels of energy, fat intakes, and selected patient characteristics (particularly disease stage and anthropometric indicators of adiposity) appear to increase risk of recurrence and/or shortened survival following the diagnosis of breast cancer.