Obesity Linked to Changes That Promote Invasive Breast Cancer Spread

University of Oklahoma researchers reported that obesity is associated with specific changes in breast tumors and surrounding tissue that appear to promote progression to invasive breast cancer. The study found higher levels of the enzyme Sulfatase 2 inside tumor cells from women with obesity.

The tissue surrounding these tumors also showed increased inflammation driven by immune cells that tumors can reprogram to support growth.

Tumor cells from women with obesity demonstrated greater ability to survive under stress. Researchers observed differences in both the tumor cells and the neighboring cells compared with samples from women without obesity. Bethany Hannafon, an assistant professor at the university’s College of Medicine, stated that these alterations allow cancer cells to survive and thrive.

The American Cancer Society estimates 321,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. Invasive ductal carcinoma accounts for 80 percent of these cases, while invasive lobular carcinoma accounts for 10 percent.

Hannafon noted that there is currently no reliable method to predict which noninvasive tumors will become invasive ductal carcinoma. As a result, many women receive the same treatments used for invasive disease, including surgery, radiation, and sometimes hormone therapy.

Future research will examine the specific role of Sulfatase 2 in invasive breast cancer progression. More than 100 million Americans live with obesity, a known risk factor for the disease.