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Long-term weight gain linked to esophageal, gastric cancers
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Individuals who become overweight in their twenties and progress to obesity later in life may have a threefold increased risk for developing esophageal and gastric cardia adenocarcinomas compared with those who maintain a healthy weight, according to new research published in the British Journal of Cancer.
“This study highlights how weight gain over the course of our lives can increase the risk of developing these two cancer types, both of which have extremely poor survival,” Jessica L. Petrick, PhD, MPH, of the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, said in a press release. “Carrying excess weight can trigger long-term reflux problems and heartburn that can lead to cancer. It can also change the levels of sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone, cause levels of insulin to rise, and lead to inflammation, all of which are factors that have been associated with increased cancer risk.”
Jessica L. Petrick
While a higher BMI is associated with incident esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, Petrick and colleagues evaluated for associations between these cancers and adiposity over time within two pooled prospective cohorts (n = 409,796). All participants reported their height and weight at baseline and at ages 20 and 50 years.
Overall, 633 developed esophageal adenocarcinoma and 415 developed gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.
Participants with a BMI higher than 25 kg/m2 at age 20 had a 62% to 76% higher risk for developing either of these cancers in later life compared with participants who had a BMI of less than 25 kg/m2 at all time points (HR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.35-2.29 for esophageal adenocarcinoma; HR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.16-2.25 for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma).
Further, participants with an overweight BMI trajectory between 25 to 30 kg/m2 at age 20 who progressed to an obesity trajectory with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 by age 50 had higher risks for both cancers compared with participants with a normal weight trajectory (HR = 2.9; 95% CI, 1.67-5.07 and HR = 4.07; 95% CI, 2.32-7.15, respectively).
Finally, participants who gained more than 20 kg since age 20 had almost twice the risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma (HR = 1.97; 95% CI, 1.43-2.73) as well as an increased risk for gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (HR = 1.4; 95% CI, 0.96-2.05).
“This study further highlights the importance of keeping a healthy weight throughout life to reduce the risk of developing these cancers,” Sarah Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said in the press release. “Participants were asked to recall what they weighed at different ages. Memories aren’t always accurate over long periods of time, so it will be interesting to see if these findings are backed up by future studies looking at lifetime weight gain and cancer risk in real time.” – by Adam Leitenberger
Disclosures: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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