High levels of insulin may worsen outcomes for black women with aggressive breast cancer

CANCER DIGEST – June 2, 2024 In a presentation at the ENDO 2024 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Boston this past week, researchers analyzed the effects of high levels of insulin on women with triple negative breast cancer. Such cancers account for 10-15% of all breast cancers and can be difficult to treat. 

Triple negative refers to cancer cells that do not have receptors for estrogen or progesterone, and which make none or too much of the protein HER2. Such triple-negative cancer cells tend to grow faster and spread more aggressively and have fewer treatment options.

Studies have shown that black women with triple-negative breast cancer tend to have poorer outcomes than white women.The researchers led by graduate researcher Alexis Engle at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York wanted to find what if any differences insulin levels played in women with triple-negative breast cancer.

“Obesity and type 2 diabetes, which are more common in Black women, are associated with poor breast cancer outcomes,”  Engel said in a press release. “Black women have higher rates of triple-negative breast cancer and have a greater risk of death from breast cancer in comparison to white women.”

They analyzed tumor samples from 45 black and 48 white women with triple-negative breast cancer and evaluated them for insulin levels and insulin sensitivity. They found that signs of insulin sensitivity were more prevalent in tumors from black women compared to white women and insulin signaling was linked to obesity and high levels of insulin in the blood.

“These results suggest that high insulin levels in Black women may be contributing to cancer growth and worse breast cancer outcomes,” Engel said.

Source: Endocrine Society press release