Obesity linked to prostate cancer

An alarming new study has revealed that obese men with prostate cancer are 99% more likely to have the disease return after treatment than those within the healthy weight range.

The link between obesity and prostate cancer has been the focus of much research, and this new study has found that obesity in a patient could predict whether their prostate cancer will continue to grow following radiotherapy.

Researches reviewed the medical records of 873 men who had undergone surgery and radiotherapy to treat their prostate cancer between 1998 and 2001. Among this group, 18% were mildly obese and 5% were moderately to severely obese.

Over the following 8 years the cancer returned in 127 patients, and 295 patients showed rising levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA). Rising levels of PSA are an early sign of the cancer returning.

It was also uncovered that cancer in obese men is more aggressive. This may be due to the influence that the fat tissue has over the concentrations of testosterone, eostrogen, insulin and insulin–like growth factor.

Remember: Obesity increases men’s risk of prostate cancer and and the chances that the cancer will be aggressive and difficult to treat.

Source: Cancer, 2006 http://jws-edck.wiley.com:8090/Cancer/News.nsf/Listing+by+Date/CA9C0664BAEF12A38525719900519562?OpenDocument