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Excess weight nearly doubles the risk of developing endometrial cancer, study finds

Apr 20, 2022, 00:05 IST
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Being overweight can increase your chance of womb cancer by 88%.Getty
  • Being overweight almost doubles the risk of endometrial cancer, a new study suggests.
  • The large-scale research analyzed data from 120,000 women across seven countries.
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Being overweight almost doubles the risk of developing womb cancer, according to a new study.

For every five extra BMI units, the risk of endometrial cancer increases 88%, according to research by the University of Bristol. The risk is higher than previous studies have suggested, and the latest study assessed lifelong weight status as opposed to snapshots in time.

While BMI alone isn't enough to measure if someone is a healthy weight, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30-39.9 is classified as obese.

Being overweight can cause 13 different types of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. It's the second highest preventable cause of cancer in the UK and the US (other preventable causes include smoking, alcohol and UV radiation).

The research will help scientists find out which drugs could manage cancer risk among obese people

Researchers assessed data from 120,000 women from the US, UK, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Poland, and Sweden, making the study one of the largest to date to analyze the link between weight and womb cancer.

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They found two hormones — fasting insulin and testosterone — increased risk of being diagnosed with womb cancer, but scientists haven't yet identified the role these two hormones play in cancer risk.

Researchers hope that in future, drugs could be used to change these hormone levels in people who already have a higher cancer risk.

"This study is an interesting first step into how genetic analyses could be used to uncover exactly how obesity causes cancer, and what can be done to tackle it," Emma Hazelwood, lead author of the paper from Bristol Medical School said.

The most common symptom of womb cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding

The American Cancer Society estimates that 12,550 women will die from womb cancer in 2022.

Post-menopausal women are most likely to develop the disease, with 60 being the average age of diagnosis, according to the charity. Black women are more likely both to develop and die from womb cancer.

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The most common symptom is abnormal vaginal bleeding.

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