Dr. Wagaskar explains the obesity paradox in prostate cancer

Vinayak G. Wagaskar, MBBS, explains the “obesity paradox”—improved survival outcomes in patients with a high body mass index (BMI)—that has been observed in patients with genitourinary malignancies, including prostate cancer.

Wagaskar also highlights a study presented at the 2021 European Association of Urology Congress which reported evidence of the obesity paradox in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Specifically, an analysis of nearly 1600 patients with mCRPC enrolled across three phase 3 trials showed that the overall survival rate at 36 months was about 30% in obese patients (BMI >30) compared with 20% in overweight (25< BMI <30) and normal weight (20< BMI <25) patients.

Wagaskar is an instructor of urology at Mount Sinai in New York City.