Dietary fat consumption and survival among women with breast cancer.

An historical prospective study was conducted to examine the relationship of dietary fat intake to disease progression and length of survival of 953 women with breast cancer. Estimates of monthly fat intake were based on patient responses about usual frequency of consuming 33 foods and beverages prior to symptom onset. Average estimated monthly fat intake did not vary by stage of disease at diagnosis. When controlling for disease stage and patient age at diagnosis, the estimated risk of death at any time increased 1.4-fold for each 1,000 g in monthly fat intake. Separate analysis by disease stage showed this association to be most pronounced for subjects with advanced disease. The need for future studies to incorporate clinical and pathologic factors in the analysis, to distinguish between sources of dietary fat intake, and to ascertain dietary patterns subsequent to breast cancer diagnosis was noted.