Breast cancer incidence according to weight and height in two cities of the Netherlands and in Aichi prefecture, Japan.

A study was made in the cities of Rotterdam and The Hague, the Netherlands, and in Aichi prefecture, Japan, to assess the effect of weight and height (and their combinations) on the age-specific incidence of breast cancer. It is based on a comparison between 1006 cases of breast cancer and 4201 women from the general population, 33-69 years old. The results suggest that about one-half of the differences in incidence between the regions in Holland and Japan can be attributed to differences in body weight and height. In breast cancer patients in Rotterdam and The Hague those with metastases in axillary involvement. A hormonal factor related to body weight and/or height might be responsible for the increased incidence and the more rapid course of breast cancer in women with a large body mass.