BMI and Breast Cancer in Korean Women: A Meta-Analysis

IntroductionThe number of breast cancer women has increased dramatically in Korea. The cause is perceived to stem from adaptation to a westernized life style which increases body mass index (BMI). However, there are no meta-analysis data available that could help in understanding the relationship between Korean females' BMI and breast cancer occurrence.MethodAll the published articles that investigated the relationship of Korean women's BMI with breast cancer prevalence between 1950 and 2007 were included in this study, based on a screen of the comput- erized databases that search for these articles (MEDLINE, RISS4U and KMBase). The commercial software Comprehensive Meta Analysis was used for the analysis.ResultsThe high BMI score group presented a higher prevalence of breast cancer on both a fixed-effects model [odds ratio (OR) = 1.282; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.209, 1.361] and a random-effects model (OR = 1.388; 95% CI = 1.129, 1.706). In addition, a high BMI score on pre- and postmenopausal groups was found to have a significantly higher prevalence of breast cancer on both a fixed-effects model (OR = 1.467; 95% CI = 1.268, 1.698, OR = 1.614; 95% CI = 1.360, 1.917, pre- and postmenopausal, respectively) and a random-effects model (OR = 1.387; 95% CI = 1.134, 1.696, OR = 1.681; 95% CI = 1.149, 2.461, pre- and postmenopausal, respectively).ConclusionThis meta-analysis of Korean women showed that a high BMI was related to a higher inci- dence rate of breast cancer. This study used a subgroup analysis of pre- and postmenopausal groups; the high BMI subset in both the pre- and postmenopausal groups was shown to have a higher incidence rate of breast cancer. [Asian Nursing Research 2009;3(1):31–40]