Analysis of the Effect of Abdominal Visceral Fat on Brain Involvement in Patients with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship between abdominal fat tissue components and the development of brain metastases in patients with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: The study included patients for whom abdominal computed tomography (CT) images at the time of diagnosis and brain magnetic resonance imaging scans within a five-year period were available in the hospital's electronic system. 63 patients with brain metastasis and 63 patients without. The abdominal CT images of these patients were analyzed using Asanj-Morphometry software to measure visceral fat area (at the L4 level), total fat area, subcutaneous fat area, total muscle area, total intramuscular fat area. Results: Patients who developed brain metastases had significantly higher BMI values (p < 0.001). A weak positive correlation was observed between visceral fat area and age in patients with brain metastases, while there was a moderate positive correlation between BMI, total fat area, subcutaneous fat area, and total intramuscular fat area. Discussion: Higher BMI values increase the risk of brain metastasis in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer. Elevated subcutaneous fat area and intramuscular fat area are important indicators for predicting brain metastasis in breast cancer cases.