Excess body weight linked to increased risk for PCa recurrence

Excess body weight may be associated with an increased risk for cancer recurrence in men with clinically localized prostate cancer, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Chicago.

"Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and who have excess body weight as indicated by a higher-than-normal body mass index have an increased risk for cancer recurrence after treatment," said study author Vincent L. Freeman, MD, MPH, of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Dr. Freeman and colleagues examined body mass index and risk for cancer recurrence based on PSA level, physical exam, and prostate cancer biopsy results in 119 men who were awaiting surgery for clinically localized prostate cancer.

The results showed that the risk for cancer recurrence increased with increasing BMI. Men in the upper quartile for BMI were nearly eight times more likely to have prostate cancers that had a moderate to high risk for recurrence after treatment compared with men in the lower quartile. Men in the upper-middle and lower-middle quartiles for BMI were 6.5 times and 3.5 times more likely to have a moderate-to-high recurrence risk, respectively.

"The association was not limited to obese men; even being just overweight based on BMI was associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer recurrence," Dr. Freeman said.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.

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