Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia secondary to diabetes can lead to organ failure unless properly controlled, and it is associated with numerous health issues, particularly metabolic problems. Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in females worldwide and represents a major health concern due to its morbidity and mortality. The progression of the disease and the response to treatment depend on numerous variables, including both tumor biology and patient-related factors. Key prognostic indicators include age, tumor size, lymph node involvement, histological type, hormone receptor status, and expression of biomarkers such as HER2. AIM: To investigate the relationship between preoperative blood glucose levels and cancer prognostic factors in patients diagnosed with breast cancer. METHODS: In this study patients diagnosed with breast cancer were classified into two groups: Those with blood glucose levels < 125 mg/dL and those with levels > 125 mg/dL. Estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity, Ki-67 percentage, Cerb2 positivity, number of positive lymph nodes, and presence of lymphovascular invasion were examined histopathologically. RESULTS: The study included 246 patients with breast cancer: 196 were in the normal glucose group and 50 were in the elevated glucose group. In the normal glucose group, 68% of the tumors were left-sided and 32% were right-sided, while all tumors in the elevated glucose group were left-sided. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Tumor size, Ki-67, and the number of positive lymph nodes were not associated with blood glucose in patients with breast cancer (P > 0.05 for all). However, blood glucose was correlated with age in this population. Correlation analyses revealed that blood glucose was positively correlated with age (r = 0.23, P < 0.001). Additionally, Ki-67 was correlated with tumor size (r = 0.14, P = 0.03) and age (r = -0.18, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Our study highlighted the complex interplay between metabolic factors, such as fasting glucose levels, and breast cancer characteristics. Elevated glucose levels were associated with older age. The significant association between tumor laterality and glucose levels underscores the need for further investigation into the collective influence of metabolic and anatomical factors on breast cancer development and progression.