London (UK), April 19: Lifelong excess weight almost doubles a woman's risk of developing womb cancer, claims new research published in 'BMC Medicine'.
The research from the University of Bristol is one of the first to discover that for every 5 extra BMI units, a woman's risk of womb (endometrial) cancer is almost doubled (an increase of 88 percent).
This is higher than most previous research have suggested and indicates lifelong weight status rather than a snapshot in time like most other studies. 5 BMI units is the difference between the overweight category and the obese category, or of a 5'5 adult female being two stones heavier.
The international study examined genetic samples of around 120,000 women from Australia, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the UK and the USA, with around 13,000 of them having womb cancer. This massive statistical analysis is one of the first studies of its kind to look at the effect of lifelong greater BMI on womb cancer risk.
The researchers looked at markers of 14 traits, which may be associated with obesity and womb cancer. They find two hormones - fasting insulin and testosterone - which heightened the risk of being diagnosed with womb cancer.
Scientists may be able to use medications to reduce or enhance the level of these hormones in people who are already at a higher risk of cancer if they can determine exactly how obesity increases the risk of cancer, such as through hormones.
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Womb cancer is one of the cancer types which is most closely associated with obesity. It's the most common gynaecological cancer in high-income countries, being the fourth most common cancer for women in the UK. In the UK, 1 in 36 women will be diagnosed in their lifetime; of UK womb cancer cases, it's estimated that around a third are caused by being overweight and obese. According to estimates, more than one in 20 cancer cases in the UK are caused by excess weight.
Emma Hazelwood, lead author of the research said that "This study is an interesting first step into how genetic analyses could be used to uncover exactly how obesity causes cancer, and what can be done to tackle it. We look forward to furthering research exploring how we can now use this information to help reduce the risk of cancer in people struggling with obesity."
Dr Julie Sharp, head of health information at Cancer Research UK stated, "Cancer Research UK has been leading the way in uncovering links between obesity and cancer for years. Studies like this bolster the fact that being overweight or obese is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK and can help us start to pinpoint why. This will play a pivotal role in uncovering how to prevent and treat cancer in the future."
"More research is needed to investigate exactly which treatments and drugs could be used to manage cancer risk among people struggling with obesity. We already know that being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing 13 different types of cancer. To reduce your cancer risk, it's important to maintain a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet and staying active," she added.
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-PTC News