Leukemia Among Cancer Types Fueled by Obesity

In an analysis of 5.24 million patients, researchers found 'significant associations' between increasing body size and 10 common cancer subtypes.

"We estimated that a 1 kg (2.2 lbs.) per meter-squared population-wide increase in BMI would result in 3,790 additional annual UK patients developing one of the 10 cancers positively associated with BMI," wrote Krishnan Bhaskaran, MSc, PhD, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Bhaskaran and colleagues analyzed data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a database that includes primary care records for about nine percent of the British population.

The cancer subtypes found to have varying associations with body mass index (BMI) include:

• Uterine cancer
• Gallbladder cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Colon cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Postmenopausal breast cancer

Writing in an accompanying commentary, Peter T. Campbell PhD of the American Cancer Society called obesity, "an avoidable cause of cancer."

"We have sufficient evidence that obesity is an important cause of unnecessary suffering and death from many forms of cancer, in addition to the well-recognized increased risks of mortality and morbidity from many other causes," added Campbell. "Research strategies that identify population-wide or community-based interventions and policies that effectively reduce overweight and obesity should be particularly encouraged and supported."

The team reported their findings in The Lancet.

Source: MedPage Today