Abstract
C-peptide, insulin, leptin, and other metabolic hormones are assumed to play roles in breast cancer development; though, results are inconsistent. In this prospective case-control study nested within the Mano a Mano Cohort Study, we assessed the risk of breast cancer with regard to plasma levels of c-peptide, gastric inhibitory polypeptide, insulin, leptin, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, pancreatic polypeptide, and peptide YY. Among women followed for a median of 8.5 years, 109 breast cancer cases were identified and frequency-matched to 327 controls at a ratio of 1:3. Overall, only c-peptide was observed significantly associated with breast cancer risk. High c-peptide levels (≥ the median level of controls) were significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01, 2.44). In an analysis of participants stratified by age, the significant association between c-peptide levels and breast cancer risk was evident in only women age ≥51 years (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02, 3.27). Among women age <51 years, high leptin levels were significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.82). Our findings suggest that selected metabolic hormones are associated with breast cancer development in Mexican American women.