Morbid Obesity and Cancer Risks

Bariatric Surgery Effect on 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:¹⁴

-	Colon cancer
-	Breast cancer (postmenopausal)
-	Endometrial cancer (lining of the uterus)
-	Kidney cancer
-	Esophageal adenocarcinoma (cancer)

In 2003, an article in the New England Journal of Medicine estimated that obesity could account for:¹⁵

-	14% of all deaths from cancer in men
-	20% of all deaths from cancer in women

Bariatric Surgery is a Proven Treatment Option
Several clinical studies of bariatric surgery show that surgery reduced risk of death in patients by atleast 29 to 89 percent.^6,16,17,18

A Note on Relative Risk of Morbid Obesity
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 People¹⁴

Type of Cancer	Women	Men
Esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma)	200% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴	200% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴
Kidney cancer	84% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴	84% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴
Colon cancer	No data available	Increased risk of occurrence¹⁴
Breast cancer	50% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴	No data available
Uterine cancer	200% to 400% higher relative risk of occurrence¹⁴	N/A

Study in the New England Journal of Medicine Found People Living with Morbid Obesity Had Significantly Higher Death Rates from Cancer Than Healthy Weight People¹⁵

Type of Cancer	Women	Men
All types	62% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	52% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma)	No data available	63% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Kidney cancer	475% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	70% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Stomach cancer	8% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	94% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Colorectal cancer	46% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	84% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Liver cancer	68% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	452% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Pancreatic cancer	276% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	49% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma	95% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	49% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Multiple myeloma	44% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	71% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Leukemia	Lower relative risk of death¹⁵	70% higher relative risk of death¹⁵
Breast cancer	212% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	No data available
Cervical cancer	320% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	N/A
Ovarian cancer	51% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	N/A
Uterine cancer	625% higher relative risk of death¹⁵	N/A
Prostate cancer	N/A	34% higher relative risk of death¹⁵

Cancer and obesity are 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.¹⁴
-	Several clinical studies found that bariatric surgery reduced risk of death in patients by 29% to 89% when compared to a group of people living with morbid obesity who had not had the surgery.^6,16,17,18

Use our Surgeon Locator to find a bariatric surgeon in your community.