Citation
Khankari, Nikhil K.; Bradshaw, Patrick T.; Steck, Susan E.; He, Ka; Olshan, Andrew F.; Shen, Jing; Ahn, Jiyoung; Chen, Yu; Ahsan, Habibul; & Terry, Mary Beth, et al. (2015). Dietary Intake of Fish, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, and Survival after Breast Cancer: A Population-Based Follow-up Study on Long Island, New York. Cancer, 121(13), 2244-2252. PMCID: PMC4581907Abstract
BACKGROUND: In laboratory experiments, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been found to reduce inflammatory eicosanoids resulting from ω-6 PUFA metabolism via competitive inhibition, and the ω-3-induced cytotoxic environment increases apoptosis and reduces cell growth in breast cancer cells. To the authors' knowledge, epidemiologic investigations regarding whether dietary ω-3 PUFA intake benefits survival after breast cancer are limited and inconsistent.METHODS: The authors used resources from a population-based follow-up study conducted on Long Island, New York, among 1463 women newly diagnosed with first primary breast cancer who were interviewed an average of approximately 3 months after diagnosis to assess risk and prognostic factors, including dietary intake (using a food frequency questionnaire). Vital status was determined through 2011, yielding a median follow-up of 14.7 years and 485 deaths. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression.
RESULTS: All-cause mortality was reduced among women with breast cancer reporting the highest quartile of intake (compared with never) for tuna (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55-0.92), other baked/broiled fish (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58-0.97), and the dietary long-chain ω-3 PUFAs docosahexaenoic acid (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55-0.92) and eicosapentaenoic acid (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.58-0.97).
CONCLUSIONS: All-cause mortality was reduced by 16% to 34% among women with breast cancer who reported a high intake of fish and long-chain ω-3 PUFAs. Long-chain ω-3 PUFA intake from fish and other dietary sources may provide a potential strategy to improve survival after breast cancer.
URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cncr.29329Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2015Journal Title
CancerAuthor(s)
Khankari, Nikhil K.Bradshaw, Patrick T.
Steck, Susan E.
He, Ka
Olshan, Andrew F.
Shen, Jing
Ahn, Jiyoung
Chen, Yu
Ahsan, Habibul
Terry, Mary Beth
Teitelbaum, Susan L.
Neugut, Alfred I.
Santella, Regina M.
Gammon, Marilie D.