• Awatef Msolly, Olfa Gharbi, Kacem Mahmoudi, Sami Limem, Makram Hochlef, and Ben AhmedSlimS.
• Department of Medical Oncology, University College Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia. awatefmsolly@gmail.com
• Ann Saudi Med. 2011 Jul 1; 31 (4): 393397393-7.

Background And ObjectivesThe number of breast cancer in women has increased dramatically in Tunisia. The cause is perceived to stem from adaptation to a westernized life style which increases body mass index (BMI). This study aimed to investigate the association between BMI and breast cancer among Tunisian women.Design And SettingHospital-based case control study of breast cancer patients seen between November 2006 and April 2009 at the University College Hospital Farhat Hached in Sousse, Tunisia.Patients And MethodsStandardized questionnaires concerning BMI and other anthropometric data were completed on 400 breast cancer cases and 400 controls. The controls were frequency-matched to the cases by age.ResultsBMI at diagnosis was positively correlated with the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women (P<.001 for trend). When compared with women with a low BMI (<19), women with a BMI of 23-27 and 27-31 had a 1.7-fold (95% CI, 1.1-2.9) and 2.1-fold (95% CI, 1.1-3.9) increased risk of breast cancer, respectively, after adjustment for non-anthropometric risk factors. BMI at diagnosis was not related to the risk of breast cancer among premenopausal women. The odds ratios for premenopausal women with a BMI of 23-27 and 27-31 were 1.5 (95% CI, 0.8-2.8) and 1.3 (95% CI, 0.4-4.5), respectively. Furthermore, present BMI was not associated with breast cancer risk in either pre- and postmenopausal women.ConclusionsWeight control in obese women may be an effective measure of breast cancer prevention in postmenopausal women.

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