TITLE:
Body Composition, Gynecologic-Obstetric Variables, and Prolactin Levels in Patients with Breast Cancer
AUTHORS:
Luis-Alfredo Jiménez-Huerta, María-del-Corazón-de-Jesús Huerta-Franco, Ángel-Haziel Vargas-Huerta, Francisco-Miguel Vargas-Luna, María-Raquel Huerta-Franco
KEYWORDS:
Breast Cancer, Sex Hormones, Prolactin, Postmenopausal Women
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.14 No.4,
April
17,
2023
ABSTRACT: Objective: The aim of this study was to determine body composition, gynecological,
and obstetric data, sex hormones, and prolactin serum levels in pre- (PREW) and
postmenopausal women (PMW) with breast cancer (BC) and compare them with a
control group (CG) of healthy women. Methodology: BC patients
without treatment or use of hormone replacement therapy, or hormonal birth control, and without data of
metastasis were included. CG was matched for age, BMI, and menstrual cycle status. FSH, LH, E2,
progesterone, testosterone, and prolactin (PRL) were measured using
radioimmunoassay kits. Comparisons between BC and CG were made with “t”
tests, and with the Mann-Whitney U-test; χ2 test was used to
compare the qualitative variables between the groups. Results: Seventy-two patients with BC, and 74 CG women were evaluated. Both groups presented
overweight data, BMI (kg/mt2) = 27.21 ± 5.51 vs. 28.40 ±
4.66, p = ns, for BC patients and CG, respectively. In PREW, the age at
menarche was later in BC patients compared to the CG (13.3 ± 1.36 years vs.
12.41 ± 1.27 years, p = 0.005). The PMW with BC presented a higher age at
menarche and menopause compared to the women of the CG (13.51 ± 1.48 vs. 12.91
± 1.41, p = 0.09, and 49.03 ± 2.86 vs. 45.5 ± 8.78, p = 0.03, respectively).
PRL levels were significantly higher in PMW
with BC, in comparison with the CG; median and minimum and maximum values (min-max) were: 14.7 ng/mL (3.6 - 52.7) vs. 5.9 ng/mL (1.9 - 33.3),
p = 0.005). A higher percentage of PMW with BC (26.0% vs. 7.1%, χ2 = 5.57, p = 0.01)
presented hyperprolactinemia (PRL serum levels > 20 ng/mL), compared to the GC. Conclusions: The higher levels of PRL in PMW with BC compared with CG, suggest a proliferative effect of this hormone in the
affected breast tissue. This study demonstrates the need to use biological
markers such as PRL to determine the risk of BC in PMW.