Systemic correlates of white adipose tissue inflammation in early-stage breast cancer Journal Article


Authors: Iyengar, N. M.; Zhou, X. K.; Gucalp, A.; Morris, P. G.; Howe, L. R.; Giri, D. D.; Morrow, M.; Wang, H.; Pollak, M.; Jones, L. W.; Hudis, C. A.; Dannenberg, A. J.
Article Title: Systemic correlates of white adipose tissue inflammation in early-stage breast cancer
Abstract: Purpose: Obesity, insulin resistance, and elevated levels of circulating proinflammatory mediators are associated with poorer prognosis in early-stage breast cancer. To investigate whether white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation represents a potential unifying mechanism, we examined the relationship between breast WAT inflammation and the metabolic syndrome and its prognostic importance. Experimental Design: WAT inflammation was defined by the presence of dead/dying adipocytes surrounded by macrophages forming crown-like structures (CLS) of the breast. Two independent groups were examined in cross-sectional (cohort 1) and retrospective (cohort 2) studies. Cohort 1 included 100 women undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer risk reduction (n = 10) or treatment (n = 90). Metabolic syndrome-associated circulating factors were compared by CLS-B status. The association between CLS of the breast and the metabolic syndrome was validated in cohort 2, which included 127 women who developed metastatic breast cancer. Distant recurrence-free survival (dRFS) was compared by CLS-B status. Results: In cohorts 1 and 2, breast WAT inflammation was detected in 52 of 100 (52%) and 52 of 127 (41%) patients, respectively. Patients with breast WAT inflammation had elevated insulin, glucose, leptin, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, and IL6 and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and adiponectin (P < 0.05) in cohort 1. In cohort 2, breast WAT inflammation was associated with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes (P < 0.05). Compared with patients without breast WAT inflammation, the adjusted HR for dRFS was 1.83 (95% CI, 1.07-3.13) for patients with inflammation. Conclusions: WAT inflammation, a clinically occult process, helps to explain the relationship between metabolic syndrome and worse breast cancer prognosis. © 2016 American Association for Cancer Research.
Journal Title: Clinical Cancer Research
Volume: 22
Issue: 9
ISSN: 1078-0432
Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research  
Date Published: 2016-05-01
Start Page: 2283
End Page: 2289
Language: English
DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-15-2239
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC4854755
PUBMED: 26712688
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 1 July 2016 -- Source: Scopus
Altmetric
Citation Impact
MSK Authors
  1. Patrick Glyn Morris
    116 Morris
  2. Monica Morrow
    725 Morrow
  3. Clifford Hudis
    904 Hudis
  4. Dilip D Giri
    180 Giri
  5. Ayca Gucalp
    106 Gucalp
  6. Neil Mukund Iyengar
    133 Iyengar
  7. Lee Winston Jones
    155 Jones