Obesity increases prostate cancer risk

Obese and overweight men are considerably at a higher risk of the spread of prostate cancer to other organs than their normal weight peers.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, studied 287 men who underwent a prostate removal during the treatment of prostate cancer.

All the participants were also taking androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to limit levels of natural testosterone, which triggers prostate cancer in some patients.

The obese men were three times more likely to experience cancer spread and metastasis to other organs after five years than those participants who had a healthy weight, the latest research, which has been presented at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Washington D.C., has shown.

The studied men had a median body mass index (BMI) of 28.3 while a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal weight. A BMI of 25 to around 30 is overweight, and a BMI of 30 or more is known as obese.

"Thirty-five percent of the men in our study had a BMI greater than 30, and 42 percent had a BMI of 25 to 30," said Christopher J. Keto, the lead author. "So, 77 percent of the entire group was either overweight or obese."

"We found that overweight men were three times more likely to have their cancer spread," Keto added, noting that "obese men were five times more likely than normal-weight men to have their cancer spread."

The scientists could not explain the reason behind the higher risk of prostate cancer spread in overweight or obese men.

Keto suggests that obese men may not be receiving an adequate dose of the ADT during treatment and require additional amount of medications.

In addition, studies have showed that obesity is also associated with increased levels of hormones linked to both obesity and prostate cancer.

Source: presstv.ir