U.S. researchers have discovered a relationship between obesity and lower pancreatic cancer survival rates after diagnosis. Their work is one early step in defining the link between cancer and obesity.
Scientists built on earlier studies that showed that having a high body mass index (BMI) could boost an individual's chances of developing this type of cancer. However, the team noted that few studies have been conducted to determine the impact of obesity on how aggressive pancreatic cancer is or on post-diagnosis survival rates, says Medical News Today. Current findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), this cancer strikes nearly equal numbers of men and women. Estimates suggest that 22,740 men and 22,480 women will receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in 2013. More than 38,000 patients will die of the disease during that year.
Scientists calculate disease survival rates using one of several methods. The NCI publishes relative survival rates. They compare cancer patients' rates to those of the general population. For the period of 2003 through 2009, the five-year U.S. relative survival rate for this cancer was 6.0 percent.
Healthcare providers use BMI as a potential screener for the development of certain health problems related to weight. It's a fairly reliable indicator of the amount of body fat most people have and is calculated from an individual's height and weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites these BMI ranges for adults:
- Less than 18.5 is underweight
- 18.5 through 24.9 is normal
- 25.0 through 29.9 is overweight
- 30.0 and higher is obese.
The analysis for this study links to subjects selected in 1986 from two large projects. The current study analyzed data from 902 of those patients who developed pancreatic cancer during the 24 years following the original research. Their overall median survival period was five months after being diagnosed.
On average, subjects at a healthy weight (BMI less than 25) survived two to three months longer than obese patients. The 202 obese subjects had a BMI equal to or greater than 35 for this study. The researchers reported that they considered the finding relevant even after they made adjustments for gender, age, smoking, race and ethnicity, and stage of the cancer.
They also noted that the survival period was even shorter for subjects who had been obese 18 to 20 years before receiving a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
The results of this study should have little if any impact on current treatment. The value of noting lower survival rates for pancreatic cancer patients who are obese is adding evidence to the importance of weight control for cancer patients overall. The findings were also significant enough to suggest the value of additional research on the precise role obesity plays in how cancer behaves after diagnosis.
Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.
- Disease & Medical Conditions
- Health
- pancreatic cancer
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