A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies revealed that elevated serum cholesterol levels are associated with breast cancer risk in Asians but not in Caucasians.45 The different effects of cholesterol levels on breast cancer risks and the prevalence of APOA1/C3/A4/A5 copy number loss in the tumors of East Asian patients suggests that the dysregulation of lipid metabolism plays different roles in breast cancer between Western and East Asian women. This evidence concerns the gene APOA1 and breast carcinoma.