Metabolic syndrome and breast cancer risk

sis and cell growth may happen also via the insulin receptor, but only in certain cell types, particularly in cultured human breast cancer7. So, in addition to steroid hormones4, polypeptide growth hormones (insulin-like factors and insulin itself) are thought to play an important role in regulation of breast tumor proliferation8. Insulin resistance, a common feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus, is frequently associated to hyperinsulinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, hypertension, hyperuricemia, abdominal obesity, increased levels of fibrinogen and PAI-1. The combination of these features with IGT or overt diabetes and microalbuminuria, is known as metabolic syndrome9. Epidemiologic evidences indicate that obesity (expecially with upper body fat distribution) and type 2 diabetes mellitus are associated with an increased risk of several neoplastic hormone-dependent diseases10-13. Aim of the present report is to analyze in a population of women who affer to a Center for the Prevention and Care of breast cancer, the prevalence of such metabolic abnormalities in breast pathology.