Cancer and Obesity: What You Need to Know
More and more Americans are becoming obese, which is having an outsized impact, pun intended, on the number of Americans being diagnosed with cancer. In February of 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that over 650,000 obesity related cancers are diagnosed in the United States annually.
Obesity is defined not by weight, but by a measurement known as the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is determined based on both height and weight. Any adult with a BMI over 30 is considered obese and anyone with a BMI of 25 – 29.9 is considered overweight. Roughly 42% of Americans could be considered obese and a staggering 70% of adult Americans qualify as overweight.
There are thirteen cancers associated with being overweight. Those are:
Meningioma (cancer of the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord)
Thyroid
Breast
Adenocarcinoma of the esophagus
Liver
Gallbladder
Upper stomach
Multiple myeloma (cancer of the blood cells)
Kidneys
Uterus
Pancreas
Ovaries
Colon and rectum
Other factors which appear to add to the risk of obesity leading to cancer are age and gender. The CDC reports that more than 90% of weight related cancers diagnosed are in those over age 50. Of those 650,000 weight related cancers diagnosed annually, women account for 450,000 of them, men account for 200,000. The cancer most diagnosed for overweight women is post-menopausal breast cancer and for men it is colorectal cancer.
But what is it about that extra weight that Americans carry that contributes to being at greater risk for cancer? Researchers are still studying the connection, but the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas suggests that too much body fat can trigger inflammation, which appears to be a key in the connection between obesity and cancer. Inflammation causes the pancreas to produce more insulin and extra fat cells in the body also contribute to the production of estrogen. Too much insulin and estrogen in our bodies cause cells to divide and multiply more than usual, which is similar to what happens in cancerous cells and can lead to the formation of cancerous tumors.
Obesity in cancer patients may also impact their quality of life while on treatment, recurrence of cancers, the progression of cancers, and a patient’s prognosis. The American Cancer Society Journal has published research that explores how cancer treatments could be complicated for obese patients, making them potentially less effective. People who are obese are more likely to have diabetes or vascular issues, which makes them a greater risk for surgeries and peripheral neuropathy, which could result in chemotherapy induced neurotoxicity. More plainly stated, oncologists need to factor in the extra risk obesity causes for their patients who are overweight and the treatments that are recommended.
Srilata Gundala, MD, a hematologist/oncologist and founder of Hope & Healing Care Centers in Lombard and Hinsdale, Illinois encourages all of her patients to think about being as healthy as possible while undergoing their cancer treatments, “Weight is one of the factors that oncologists need to look at to most effectively treat their patients. Keeping a healthy and reasonable weight will help cancer patients going through their treatment. Other things patients can do to help themselves are to stay active, eat a healthy diet, limit alcohol use, and try and get good rest each night.”
If you are looking for more information on staying as healthy as possible during your cancer treatment, you can learn more in previously posted articles on the Hope & Healing blog:
Written By: Sheila Quirke, MSW
Reviewed By: Srilata Gundala, MD
