Yixiang Zhang

Ph.D

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University

Dr.

PLCO (Learn more about this study)

PLCO-1204

Apr 19, 2023

Effect of screening dietary patterns on breast cancer in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cancer worldwide and the most common malignancy among women[1]. Traditionally, BC in women has been considered etiologically driven, primarily by genetic factors; however, these factors explain only a small proportion of BC, and practice suggests that the role of the environment is likely to increase the incidence of BC. Currently recognized risk factors for breast cancer include early puberty, early menarche, late age at marriage, failure to breastfeed, late age at menopause, lack of physical activity, obesity, alcohol consumption, smoking, and diet. The main mechanisms include prolonged estrogen exposure due to adolescent activity and poor lifestyle habits, and lack of breast tissue differentiation during menopause[2]. Among them, unbalanced dietary intake is an important factor associated with breast cancer risk. According to studies, a high-fat diet may contribute to the development of breast cancer. The reason for this is that a high-fat diet rich in cholesterol can activate estrogen signaling and advance cell proliferation, increasing the risk of breast cancer. However, there is also some evidence that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial in reducing the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The protective effect of the Mediterranean diet on breast cancer risk is largely due to the staple foods of this dietary pattern, such as fruits and vegetables, olive oil, fish and red wine, which have important antioxidant properties[3]. Although etiologic and epidemiologic studies have long investigated modifiable risk factors for breast cancer incidence, conclusive data to translate current findings into clinical practice are lacking and need to be investigated in more further studies using dietary interventions in clinical trials to obtain more conclusive data. The dietary pattern study was chosen for this study as an alternative approach that allows a comprehensive examination of the complex interactions between different dietary components affecting bioavailability and absorption, rather than analyzing individual components. This approach provides a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between dietary patterns and disease risk. Thus, we aim to use data from the prostate, lung, colorectum and ovary (PLCO) to examine the relationship between dietary patterns and breast cancer.
[1] De Cicco, P., Catani, M. V., Gasperi, V., Sibilano, M., Quaglietta, M., & Savini, I. (2019). Nutrition and breast cancer: a review of prevention, treatment and recurrence studies. Nutrients,11(7), 1514. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071514
[2] Kashyap, D., Pal, D., Sharma, R., Garg, V. K., Goel, N., Koundal, D., Zaguia, A., Koundal, S., & Belay, A. (2022). Global Increase in Breast Cancer Incidence: Risk Factors and Preventive Measures. BioMed research international, 2022, 9605439. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9605439
[3] Laudisio, D., Castellucci, B., Barrea, L., Pugliese, G., Savastano, S., Colao, A., & Muscogiuri, G. (2021). Mediterranean diet and breast cancer risk: a narrative review. Minerva endocrinology, 46(4), 441–452. https://doi.org/10.23736/S2724-6507.20.03266-6