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Smoking and physical inactivity increase cancer prevalence in BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutation carriers: results from a retrospective observational analysis

  • Gynecologic Oncology
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The aim of this analysis in a pilot study population was to investigate whether we can verify seemingly harmful lifestyle factors such as nicotine and alcohol indulgence, obesity, and physical inactivity, as well as a low socioeconomic status for increased cancer prevalence in a cohort of BRCA 1 and 2 mutation carriers.

Methods

The analysis data are derived from 68 participants of the lifestyle intervention study LIBRE-1, a randomized, prospective trial that aimed to test the feasibility of a lifestyle modification in BRCA 1 and 2 mutation carriers. At study entry, factors such as medical history, lifestyle behavior, and socioeconomic status were retrospectively documented by interview and the current BMI was determined by clinical examination. The baseline measurements were compared within the cohort, and presented alongside reference values for the German population.

Results

Study participants indicating a higher physical activity during their adolescence showed a significantly lower cancer prevalence (p = 0.019). A significant difference in cancer occurrence was observed in those who smoked prior to the disease, and those who did not smoke (p < 0.001). Diseased mutation carriers tended to have a lower BMI compared to non-diseased mutation carriers (p = 0.079), whereas non-diseased revealed a significantly higher physical activity level than diseased mutation carriers (p = 0.046).

Discussion

The present data in this small cohort of 68 mutation carriers suggest that smoking and low physical activity during adolescence are risk factors for developing breast cancer in women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Further data of the ongoing LIBRE 2 study are necessary to confirm these findings in a larger cohort of 600 mutation carriers.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Center for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich (CCCM), Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany

    Sabine Grill, Ricarda Dukatz, Jacqueline Lammert, Mirjam Ullrich, Katharina Pfeifer & Marion Kiechle

  2. Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, University of Leipzig, Haertelstrasse 16-18, 04107, Leipzig, Germany

    Maryam Yahiaoui-Doktor & Christoph Engel

  3. Institute of Nutritional Medicine, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 12, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany

    Maryam Basrai & Stephan C. Bischoff

  4. Institute for Medical Psychology and Sociology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Preusserstr. 1–9, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Michael Siniatchkin

  5. Department of Sports Medicine, Christian-Albrecht University Kiel, Olshausenstraße 74, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Thorsten Schmidt & Burkhard Weisser

  6. Center for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, University Hospital Cologne, Kerpener Str. 34, 50931, Cologne, Germany

    Kerstin Rhiem & Rita Schmutzler

  7. Department for Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Munich-Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Marchioninistraße 15, 81377, Munich, Germany

    Nina Ditsch

  8. Department of Prevention and Sports Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675, Munich, Germany

    Martin Halle

Authors
  1. Sabine Grill
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  2. Maryam Yahiaoui-Doktor
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  3. Ricarda Dukatz
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  6. Christoph Engel
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  7. Katharina Pfeifer
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  8. Maryam Basrai
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  9. Michael Siniatchkin
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  10. Thorsten Schmidt
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  11. Burkhard Weisser
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  14. Rita Schmutzler
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  15. Stephan C. Bischoff
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  16. Martin Halle
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  17. Marion Kiechle
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Contributions

SG: data collection/analysis and manuscript writing. MY-D: data collection/analysis and manuscript editing. RD: data collection and manuscript writing/editing. JL: manuscript editing. MU: manuscript editing. CE: data collection and manuscript editing. KP: manuscript editing. MB: manuscript editing. MS: project development and manuscript editing. TS: manuscript editing. BW: manuscript editing. KR: manuscript editing. ND: manuscript editing. RS: manuscript editing. SCB: project development and manuscript editing. MH: project development and manuscript editing. MK: project development, funding acquisition, project manager, and manuscript editing.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sabine Grill.

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Funding

This study was funded by the German Cancer Aid (Deutsche Krebshilfe), Project number: 110013.

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in the LIBRE Study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This chapter does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Grill, S., Yahiaoui-Doktor, M., Dukatz, R. et al. Smoking and physical inactivity increase cancer prevalence in BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 mutation carriers: results from a retrospective observational analysis. Arch Gynecol Obstet 296, 1135–1144 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4546-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-017-4546-y

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