Researchers now believe a connection exists between excess body weight and an increased risk for cancer recurrence in men with clinically localized prostate cancer.
“Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and who have excess body weight as indicated by a higher-than-normal body mass index (BMI) have an increased risk for cancer recurrence after treatment,” said Vincent L. Freeman, MD, MPH, associate professor in the division of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Illinois.
In 119 men awaiting surgery for clinically localized prostate cancer, Freeman and colleagues examined BMI and cancer recurrence risk based on blood prostate-specific antigen level, physical exam, and prostate cancer biopsy results.
The results showed that, as BMI increased, so did the risk for cancer recurrence. Compared with men in the lower BMI quartile, men in the upper quartile were nearly 8 times more likely to have prostate cancers that had a moderate to high risk for recurrence after treatment. Men in the upper-middle and lower-middle quartiles for BMI were 6.5 times and 3.5 times more likely to have a moderate to high recurrence risk, respectively.
“The association was not limited to obese men; even being just overweight based on BMI was associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer recurrence,” Freeman said.
Researchers concluded that body weight and associated lifestyle factors linked to prostate cancer could be used as practical indicators for high-risk cancer cases.
“The results provide additional support for a mechanistic link between body weight status and the clinical presentation and course of prostate cancer,” Freeman said. “Our findings also highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout adulthood.”
Source: AACR.
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