Serum resistin is inversely related to breast cancer risk in premenopausal women.

Background: Adipokines have been suggested as potential mediators linking obesity and breast cancer. Resistin is the least-studied adipokine with diverse findings regarding its association with disease development and progression. The present study aimed to determine resistin serum levels in breast cancer in relation to the histological type of disease and to investigate their association with breast cancer risk.

Methods: The study included 216 women, of which 163 were diagnosed with breast cancer (58 with IDC, 52 with DCIS and 53 with LN) and 53 were healthy. Serum levels of resistin, leptin and adiponectin were quantitatively determined in duplicates by ELISA. Differences in resistin levels among patient groups were evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. The association of resistin with breast cancer risk was evaluated by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Results: Resistin levels varied between histological types of breast cancer (p = 0.044). Significant differences in serum resistin were observed in IDC patients compared to those with DCIS and to controls (p < 0.014 and p < 0.03, respectively). Decreased levels of resistin, adiponectin and leptin were observed in premenopausal patients. Resistin was associated with a reduced risk for ductal carcinoma only in premenopausal women (OR: 0.364, 95% CI: 0.154-0.862, p < 0.022).

Conclusion: Our findings indicate that resistin levels were inversely related to breast cancer risk in premenopausal women, supporting a protective role of resistin for these patients. Further advances in adipokine research may lead to tangible benefits for overweight/obese women at an increased risk for breast cancer.