Abstract
Intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) may affect mortality following breast cancer; however, epidemiological studies have relied on the self-reported assessment of PUFA intake. Herein, we examined the associations between red blood cell (RBC) PUFAs and mortality.
This nested case–control study included 1,104 women from the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study, a multistate randomized controlled trial. Cases (n = 290) comprised women who died from 1995 to 2006. Matched controls (n = 814) comprised women who were alive at the end of follow-up. PUFAs were measured in baseline RBC samples and included four ω-3 and seven ω-6 PUFAs. We examined each PUFA individually and principal components factor analysis (PCFA)-derived scores in association with all-cause mortality (ACM) and breast cancer–specific mortality (BCM) using conditional logistic regression to estimate ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
In fully adjusted models, ACM ORs were elevated among women with PUFAs above the median (>median) versus at the median or below (≤median) for α-linolenic acid (ALA; OR = 1.63, 95% CI, 1.18–2.24) and linolenic acid (LA; OR = 1.56, 95% CI, 1.16–2.09). BCM ORs were elevated for ALA (OR = 1.83, 95% CI, 1.27–2.63), LA (OR = 1.70, 95% CI, 1.23–2.37), and γ-linolenic acid (GLA; OR = 1.50, 95% CI, 1.04–2.16). PCFA Factor 1 (arachidonic acid–adrenic acid–docosapentaenoic acid) scores above the median (vs. ≤median) were associated with lower odds of ACM (OR = 0.71, 95% CI, 0.52–0.97) and BCM (OR = 0.69, 95% CI, 0.49–0.97). PCFA Factor 4 (ALA/GLA) scores above the median (vs. ≤median) were associated with increased odds of BCM (OR = 1.47, 95% CI, 1.04–2.09).
RBC ALA, LA, and GLA may be prognostic indicators among breast cancer survivors.
These results are important for understanding the associations between a biomarker of PUFA intake and mortality among BC survivors.
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