The association between lipid profiles and breast cancer among Taiwanese women

Background: Breast cancer incidence increased seven-fold from 1979 to 2002, and it has become the second most common cancer in Taiwanese women. Although the relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and breast cancer has been studied, no consistent association has been explicitly confirmed. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the relationship between breast cancer and lipid profiles in Taiwanese women. Methods: A total of 150 breast cancer patients before treatment and 71 healthy controls were enrolled. Lipid profiles in fasting serum were measured after participants gave their consent. Results: The breast cancer patients had significantly lower values for HDL-C and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-I), lower apoA-I/apoB ratios and higher values for very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) than controls. After logistic regression analysis, the breast cancer patients had significantly higher values for VLDL-C and lower values for apoA-I after controlling for HDL-C and the apoA-I/apoB ratio. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that higher VLDL-C and lower apoA-I values were significantly associated with breast cancer, with a greater association between apoA-I values and the development of breast cancer than for HDL-C values.