A study of the effect of weight and dietary fat on breast cancer survival time.

Female breast cancer patients who had participated in a case-control study conducted during 1973-1975 were followed up, using record linkage to the Statistics Canada mortality data base, to the end of 1980. A number of variables recorded for the case-control study, in particular body weight and daily intake of dietary fat near the time of diagnosis, were examined to see if they had any bearing on breast cancer mortality. The data were analyzed using the methods of Mantel and Cox. Dietary fat was not found to be related to patient survival. However, cases with greater than average body weight experienced a shortened survival time.