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Health Benefits
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Cancer Risks with Morbid Obesity
Morbid Obesity and Cancer Risks
Several studies have been conducted to examine the link between morbid obesity and cancer. In 2001, experts at the National Cancer Institute concluded that several cancers are associated with obesity:
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer (postmenopausal)
- Endometrial cancer (lining of the uterus)
- Kidney cancer
- Esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma)
In 2003, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that obesity could account for 14% of all deaths from cancer in men and 20% of all deaths from cancer in women
A Proven Treatment Option
Several clinical studies of bariatric surgery show that surgery improved life expectancy in patients by at least 29 to 89 percent.
A Note on Relative Risk
The charts below refer to “relative risk,” which compares how likely an event is to occur to a person versus another person. The charts show how much more likely a person with morbid obesity is to develop cancer or die from cancer versus a person with a healthy weight.
National Cancer Institute Found People Living with Morbid Obesity Are More Likely to Develop Certain Cancers Than Healthy Weight People.
| Type of Cancer | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Esophageal Adenocarcinoma | 200% higher relative risk of occurrence | 200% higher relative risk of occurrence |
| Kidney Cancer | 84% higher relative risk of occurrence | 84% higher relative risk of occurrence |
| Colon Cancer | No data available | Increased risk of occurrenc |
| Breast cancer | 50% higher relative risk of occurrence | No data available |
| Uterine cancer | 200% to 400% higher relative risk of occurrence | Not Applicable |
Study in the New England Journal of Medicine Found People Living with Morbid Obesity Had Significantly Higher Death Rates from Cancer Than Healthy Weight People.
| Type of Cancer | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| All types | 62% higher relative risk of death | 52% higher relative risk of death |
| Esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma) | No data available | 63% higher relative risk of death |
| Kidney cancer | 475% higher relative risk of death | 70% higher relative risk of death |
| Stomach cancer | 8% higher relative risk of death | 94% higher relative risk of death |
| Colorectal cancer | 46% higher relative risk of death | 84% higher relative risk of death |
| Liver cancer | 68% higher relative risk of death | 452% higher relative risk of death |
| Pancreatic cancer | 276% higher relative risk of death | 49% higher relative risk of death |
| Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | 95% higher relative risk of death | 49% higher relative risk of death |
| Multiple myeloma | 44% higher relative risk of death | 71% higher relative risk of death |
| Leukemia | Lower relative risk of death | 70% higher relative risk of death |
| Breast cancer | 212% higher relative risk of death | No data available |
| Cervical cancer | 320% higher relative risk of death | N/A |
| Ovarian cancer | 51% higher relative risk of death> | N/A |
| Uterine cancer | 625% higher relative risk of death | N/A |
| Prostate cancer | N/A | 34% higher relative risk of death |
Cancer and obesity seem tol be linked, but there is hope. One recent study that examined the effect of intentional weight loss found that women who experienced intentional weight loss of 20 or more pounds and were not currently overweight had cancer rates at the level of healthy women who never lost weight. Several clinical studies found that bariatric surgery reduced mortality in patients by 29% to 89% when compared to a group of people living with morbid obesity who had not had the surgery.
 Health Benefits of Bariatric Surgery |
 Health Benefits |
 Depression and Morbid Obesity |
