Bariatric Surgery may Decrease the Risk of Uterine Cancer

A recent study shows how bariatric surgery--a possible treatment option for those who are morbidly obese yet struggling to lose weight on their own--could dramatically reduce the risk of uterine cancer. 

According to researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center, they examined data on 7,431,858 patients taken from the University Health System Consortium database. This system collects and combines medical information from academic medical centers throughout the country. From the sample, data showed that 103,797 people had a history of bariatric surgery and 44,345 from the same group had uterine cancer.

The researchers found that patients who underwent bariatric surgery also experienced a 71 percent reduced risk of developing uterine (endometrial) cancer. Furthermore, the findings showed that if the patients were able to keep off the weight and maintain a normal one following surgery, their cancer risk dropped by as much as 81 percent.

"Estimating from various studies that looked at increasing BMI and endometrial cancer risk, a woman with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 would have approximately eight times greater risk of endometrial cancer than someone with a BMI of 25," said first author Kristy Ward, MD, the senior gynecologic oncology fellow in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine, via a press release. "This risk likely continues to go up as BMI goes up."

Ward further discusses how obesity can dramatically increase certain health-related risks. "The obesity epidemic is a complicated problem. Further work is needed to define the role of bariatric surgery in cancer care and prevention, but we know that women with endometrial cancer are more likely to die of cardiovascular causes than they are of endometrial cancer. It's clear that patients who are overweight and obese should be counseled about weight loss, and referral to a bariatric program should be considered in patients who meet criteria."

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More information regarding the study can be found via the Gynecologic Oncology.