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Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (C.M.), Boston, Massachusetts 02215; Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School (E.P., N.D., C.C., M.D., D.M.A., D.T.), Athens 11527, Greece; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health (E.P., D.T.), Boston, Massachusetts 02115; Elena Venizelou Hospital (Y.P.), Athens 11521, Greece; Breast Unit, Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Athens University Medical School (C.M.), Athens 11527, Greece; BIOMED, International Diagnostic Center (E.S.), Athens 11528, Greece; Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (G.C.), Bethesda, Maryland 20892; and First Department of Pediatrics, Ag. Sophia Childrens Hospital, Athens University Medical School (G.C.), Athens 11527, Greece
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Eleni Petridou, M.D., Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Athens University Medical School, 75 Mikras Asias, Goudi, Athens 115-27, Greece. E-mail: epetrid{at}med.uoa.gr.
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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Adiponectin (acrp30, adipoQ, apM1 gene product) is an adipocyte-secreted protein (11, 12, 13, 14), decreased levels of which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of insulin-resistant states (14), such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (12, 15, 16). We have shown that adiponectin levels are decreased in premenopausal women with endometrial carcinoma, a malignancy closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance (17). Because insulin resistance in the setting of obesity has also been associated with the development of breast cancer (2, 18, 19), we have hypothesized that decreased adiponectin levels might underlie the association between breast cancer and obesity/insulin resistance.
To evaluate this hypothesis, we have conducted a case-control study of 174 pre- and postmenopausal women with newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed, breast cancer and 167 control women.
| Subjects and Methods |
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During an 8-month period from February to September 1998 inclusive, 83 consecutive incident cases of breast cancer were diagnosed and histologically confirmed in the mammographic screening centers of the University of Athens teaching hospitals E. Venizelou and Laiko. Five of these women refused to participate, whereas three others had a past history of cancer at another site. The remaining 75 cases were included in the study. Controls were selected among women with a mammogram indicating the absence of breast cancer and who had never been diagnosed with any type of cancer. Of 97 identified potential controls, 86 agreed to participate. During an additional 30-month period, from January 2000 to June 2002 inclusive, two of us (C.C. and D.M.) visited the mammographic screening centers of the above teaching hospitals once a week to identify potential cases. Cases included women who were histologically diagnosed with breast cancer during the present hospitalization. Among the 118 women who were identified, 99 agreed to participate and were included in the study. Controls were selected among women in the same hospitals who either had a mammogram indicating the absence of breast cancer or who were hospitalized in the orthopedic department for a minor trauma. Controls were included if they had never been diagnosed with any form of cancer. Among the 118 potential controls identified, 92 agreed to participate and were included in the study.
All cases and controls were interviewed by one of four trained interviewers. The interview lasted about 20 min and obtained information pertaining to demographic, anthropometric, and reproductive variables. Fasting blood samples were taken and stored at -70 C from all cases and controls (no later than 0900 h) in a blinded fashion as to case-control status for measurements of serum adiponectin, leptin, IGF-I, and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3).
Ethics
The study protocol was approved by the University of Athens Medical School Ethics Committee and was in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975. All participants provided informed consent.
Hormone measurement
Serum adiponectin levels in all samples were measured in one run at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA) using an RIA with a sensitivity of 2 ng/ml and an intraassay coefficient of variation of 8.1%. Measurements of serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3, and leptin were performed in two runs (sets A and B, each including a similar number of cases and controls) using either the Nichols Advantage Automated Specialty System (Nichols Institute, San Juan Capistrano, CA) or commercially available RIA kits as previously described (20, 21). The assays for these analytes are similar with respect to sensitivity, specificity, precision, recovery, and linearity of dilution; thus, the methods are considered to generate comparable results.
Statistical analysis
Because leptin and components of the IGF system were analyzed in two different runs, a dummy variable specifying the contrast between set A and set B was introduced in all analyses even though the laboratory methods used were similar and cases and controls were distributed in a balanced way between the two runs. Additionally, even though all samples were immediately frozen after blood collection and processing, it is theoretically possible that the duration of storage might have affected measurements of the four indicated hormones. Thus, for each hormone, a regression of hormonal measurements on duration of storage was obtained, and residuals (differences) from the regression-predicted values were used in all subsequent analyses as storage duration-adjusted values.
For the statistical analysis, representative values (mean and SD) of the four measured hormones were calculated among the case and control subjects and were stratified according to menopausal status. Subsequently, cases and controls were distributed in marginal quintiles of the storage duration-adjusted values for each of the hormonal variables, and P values from simple test trends were determined. Lastly, the data were modeled through multiple logistic regression with case or control status as the outcome variable and one or more of the measured hormones as predictor variables (in increments equal to one marginal quintile of their storage duration-adjusted values). Models were controlled for age, education, height, body mass index (BMI), age at menarche, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, age at menopause (among postmenopausal women), and age at first birth (among parous women) as well as for inclusion in set A or set B.
| Results |
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| Discussion |
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Previous epidemiological studies have shown an association of central obesity and insulin resistance mainly with postmenopausal breast cancer (2, 18, 19). Similarly, overall obesity, expressed as BMI, tends to be positively correlated with the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, but is either weakly or inversely associated with premenopausal breast cancer (22, 23, 24). These observations suggest that central obesity and insulin resistance, characterized by increased serum insulin levels, may play a more important role in the pathogenesis of postmenopausal breast cancer.
Adiponectin, a newly discovered protein, is secreted exclusively by adipocytes and acts as an insulin sensitizer (11, 12). Consistent with the role of this protein as an insulin sensitizer, adiponectin secretion is decreased in the setting of obesity (11, 15) and other insulin-resistant states, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (16). Thus, decreased levels of adiponectin are associated with increased serum insulin levels, which accompany insulin resistance (25, 26).
The association of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia with breast cancer has been supported by most (5, 7, 27, 28), but not all, previous studies (29, 30). Insulin appears to stimulate the proliferation of breast cancer cells by binding to and signaling through the insulin (31) and IGF-I (32, 33) receptors. In addition, insulin may synergize with the mitogenic effects of estrogen (34) and may also up-regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a potent angiogenic agent that is secreted by breast cancer cells and endometrial carcinoma cells (35, 36). VEGF is suppressed by stimulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-
, ligands of which increase levels of adiponectin (37, 38). Moreover, adiponectin inhibits the activation of nuclear factor-
B (39), a transcription factor that up-regulates VEGF in breast cancer (40). Thus, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the central obesity-induced down-regulation of adiponectin expression increases breast cancer risk through a mitogenic effect of hyperinsulinemia and increased IGFs and estrogen levels as well as by up-regulating VEGF. Moreover, adiponectin has recently been inversely associated with estrogen levels (41). As postmenopausal breast cancer is also associated with increased risk of circulating estrogens, it remains possible that adiponectin may influence breast cancer risk by altering circulating estrogen levels. Whether adiponectin may also directly alter breast cancer risk remains to be studied further in the future.
We have recently reported a significant inverse association of adiponectin with risk of endometrial carcinoma among women less than 65 yr old (17). Finding a similar inverse association among postmenopausal women with breast cancer in this study provides further support for the importance of adiponectin in the pathogenesis of malignancies associated with obesity-induced insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Although little is currently known about the site of action of adiponectin or its receptor, these studies suggest that it is reasonable to speculate that low levels of adiponectin may play a permissive role in stimulating the neoplastic growth of breast cells.
In contrast to the role of adiponectin observed in postmenopausal women, we did not find an association of adiponectin with premenopausal breast cancer. We did, however, observe a positive association of IGF-I and an inverse association of IGFBP-3 with the risk for development of premenopausal breast cancer. These observations are in keeping with previous studies that have shown similar associations (6, 8, 9, 10).
Pathophysiologically, IGF-I appears to increase mitogenic stimulation of breast cells through both endocrine and paracrine mechanisms, and its effects may synergize with the mitogenic effects of estrogen. That IGF-I is positively correlated with the risk of premenopausal, but not postmenopausal, breast cancer may imply the importance of this hormone in the earlier stages of carcinogenesis and in subjects who have higher endogenous levels of both IGF-I and estrogens (9).
Among the strengths of our study is the inclusion of newly diagnosed pre- and postmenopausal women with a histological diagnosis of breast cancer. Laboratory specimens were obtained in a blinded fashion, and specimens were obtained in the fasting state to minimize diurnal variability in hormone levels. Random laboratory error or uncontrolled variability would have resulted in misclassification that would tend to dilute associations. Although subjects were recruited from two different sites, and laboratory analyses were performed in two different runs, we made proper adjustments for these conditions in the statistical analyses. Lastly, we controlled for the potential variability in hormonal levels due to storage duration time.
In conclusion, we found a significant inverse association of adiponectin with postmenopausal breast cancer and a positive association of IGF-I with premenopausal breast cancer. These observations support important underlying pathophysiological differences in these two disease states.
| Footnotes |
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Received October 16, 2003.
Accepted December 2, 2003.
| References |
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. Mol Cell 1:465470[CrossRef][Medline]
a) deficiency and PPAR
agonist improve insulin resistance. J Biol Chem 276:4124541254
B signaling through a cAMP-dependent pathway. Circulation 102:12961301
B activity decreases the VEGF mRNA expression in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat 73:237243[CrossRef][Medline]
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