Weighty issues...

That obesity gives rise to a host of health problems is well-known. Another brickbat that can be added to the list is obesity-related cancers, which are on the rise in the US. We asked doctors here, if it’s a similar scenario locally. Read on to know more...

Increase in obesity-related cancers in the US

Health officials in the US have reported there’s a link between obesity and 40 per cent of all the cancers diagnosed in their country. A health study’s findings suggest that being obese or overweight was associated with cancer cases involving more than 6,30,000 Americans in 2014, and including 13 types of cancer. These 13 cancers include brain cancer, multiple myeloma, cancer of the oesophagus, postmenopausal breast cancer, cancers of the thyroid, gallbladder, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, ovaries, uterus and colon.

According to the new report from the CDC and the US National Cancer Institute, 13 types of obesity-related cancers made up about 40 per cent of all cancers diagnosed in the US in 2014. Excluding colon cancer, the rate of obesity-related cancer increased by seven per cent between 2005 and 2014. During the same time, rates of non-obesity-related cancers dropped, the findings showed.

Link between obesity and cancer

Obesity may be one of the reasons for developing the above mentioned cancers. Obesity leads to chronic inflammation, is one of the processes, which initiates cancer cell growth and proliferation and spread. Apart from chronic inflammation, there are certain hormones causing cell proliferation which are in excess in obese individuals like insulin like growth factor, which are involved in carcinogenesis, explains Dr Bharat Bhosale, medical oncologist, Bombay Hospital.

Dr Ramen Goel, senior metabolic and bariatric surgeon, Director - Center of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery, Wockhardt Hospitals, who usually does one to two surgeries on daily basis says that bariatric numbers are increasing in India keeping pace with increasing obesity prevalence. How often has he come across cases, wherein people develop obesity-related cancer, and then especially had to do bariatric surgery? “It is difficult to give a figure but we are increasingly seeing patients with treated lymphomas and breast cancer coming for bariatric surgery in last two to three years, which was not seen earlier. Also, since patients are extensively investigated before bariatrics, we are able to identify more silent tumours, few of them were even cancerous.”

Such cases are on the rise here too

“Obesity-related cancers are rising in Mumbai. In metro cities like Mumbai, sedentary lifestyle and diet,  which is often neglected, has been cause of concern for an increasing number of people with obesity and high BMI. Cancer in women such as breast cancer is on the rise in metros and hence, obesity can be one of the responsible factors. Among breast cancer patients, nearly 16 per cent of females were obese and overweight which is doubled what we see in today in our clinic,” informs Dr Bhosale. He further says that women above the age of 50 and those who are obese may be at risk of getting cancers like gall bladder, breast, and uterus. Obese males and females are more likely to get affected by oesophagus, stomach and colon cancer.

Dr Maheboob Basade, senior consultant medical oncologist, Jaslok Hospital, says, “There has been a rise in obesity-related cancers. A sedentary lifestyle most certainly makes one obese. Around 60 per cent of those patients with breast cancer are obese. A gradual increase has been noticed in the last few years.” He adds that obesity with cancer is often noticed among upper and middle class. Those from low economic strata also develop obesity or cancer these days. It’s a disease of the elderly and mostly seen among those above 50 years of age

Reducing your risk

“Any individual with a BMI of above 30 qualifies as obese, and therefore, should lose the extra weight to reduce their risk of obesity-related cancer. Any woman weighing above 75 kgs comes under the obese category and hence, must lose weight to reduce her risk of breast cancer,” cautions Dr Basade.