REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Breast Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1496468
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Impact of Lipid Metabolism on Cancer Progression and MetastasisView all 5 articles
Impact of blood lipid levels on breast cancer prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted- 1Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
- 2Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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Background: Breast cancer has emerged as the predominant malignant neoplasm globally, with potential implications for patient prognosis based on blood lipid profiles. This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the influence of lipid levels on the prognostic outcomes of individuals with breast cancer.Methods: A thorough search was performed across multiple academic databases, including Embase, Cochrane, PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang Database, up to March 2024. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the impact of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) on the prognosis of Breast Cancer. The primary outcome measure was hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS) and/or disease-free survival (DFS).Results: Eight studies meeting inclusion criteria from a total of 13,292 were included in the meta-analysis. The systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrate an association between lower HDL-C levels and poorer survival outcomes. However, the statistical analysis did not find significant associations between HDL-C, TG, and LDL-C levels and the prognosis of breast cancer patients.While our analysis reveals a link between reduced HDL-C levels and unfavorable survival outcomes, the statistical evidence does not support significant connections between HDL-C, TG, and LDL-C concentrations and the prognostic landscape for breast cancer patients. Further research is warranted to explore these relationships more comprehensively.
Keywords: Blood lipid levels, breast cancer, prognosis, Disease-Free Survival, overall survival
Received: 14 Sep 2024; Accepted: 17 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Song, Jin, Yu, Wu and Gao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiufei Gao, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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