Comparative Analysis of Anthropometric Parameters and Body Composition of Patients with Breast Cancer and Healthy Women in the Postmenopausal Period

Abstract

According to a statistical review (2018) in Latvia, there are more than one thousand women (n = 1266) with the diagnosis of breast cancer. Assessments of anthropometrical parameters were made according to the World Health Organisation recommendations for morbidity risk analysis. The aim of the study was to determine the differences and changes of anthropometric parameters and indices in a control group and in a clinical group (initial oncological diagnosis without treatment intervention). We examined women in their postmenopausal period. The control group included apparently healthy women (n = 181) and the clinical group included women (n = 44) with initial oncological diagnosis (breast cancer 1^st and 2^nd stage). In order to assess body anthropometric characteristics we used the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, waist/height ratio and skin fold thickness measurement. The study results were assessed using statistical analyses in the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0 software: Shapiro–Wilk and Mann–Whitney tests with a two-tailed p-value < 0.05). The analysis of statistical data showed that, despite the low number of patients in the clinical group, we found a significantly lower waist-to-hip ratio, skinfold thickness above m. biceps brachii, skinfold thickness above m. triceps brachii, and subscapular and suprailiac skin fold thickness in this group.