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Bariatric surgery reduced uterine cancer risk by 71%
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Women who underwent bariatric surgery for weight loss reduced their uterine cancer risk by 71%, and their risk fell by 81% if they maintained a healthy weight, according to results of a retrospective cohort study presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer in Tampa, Fla.
“Of all the obesity-related cancers, endometrial cancer is probably influenced the most by BMI,” researcher Kristy K. Ward, MD, a gynecologic oncology fellow at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, told HemOnc Today. “Further work is needed to define the role of bariatric surgery in cancer care and prevention, but our work indicates that weight loss procedures are associated with a significant reduction in the risk of uterine cancer, which is the most common gynecologic cancer.”
Ward and colleagues evaluated data from more than 7 million hospital admissions in the University HealthSystem Consortium database from 2009 to 2013. Of these patients, 103,797 underwent bariatric surgery and 44,345 were diagnosed with uterine cancer.
Among women who had not undergone bariatric surgery, researchers calculated an overall rate of 599 (95% CI, 590-610) uterine malignancies per 100,000 hospital admissions. The rate of uterine malignancies was 1,409/100,000 (95% CI, 1,380-1,440) when limited to obese patients, and it was 496/100,000 (95% CI, 490-510) when limited to those who were not obese.
Researchers determined obese women who did not undergo bariatric surgery demonstrated a 2.8-fold (95% CI, 2.78-2.9) increased risk for developing a uterine malignancy.
Among women who underwent bariatric surgery, researchers calculated an overall rate of 408 (95% CI, 370-450) per 100,000 hospital admissions. The rate of uterine malignancies increased to 682/100,000 (95% CI, 600-770) among women with persistent obesity after surgery. However, the rate decreased to 270/100,000 (95% CI, 230-310) among women who maintained a healthy weight after bariatric surgery.
Overall, researchers calculated an RR of 0.29 (95% CI, 0.26-0.32) for a uterine malignancy among women admitted to the hospital who had undergone bariatric surgery vs. obese women who had not undergone bariatric surgery.
“It is clear that patients who are overweight and obese should be counseled about weight loss, and referral to a bariatric program should be considered in patients who meet criteria,” Ward said.
For more information:
Ward KK. Abstract #4. Presented at: Society of Gynecologic Oncology Annual Meeting; March 22-24, 2014; Tampa, Fla.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.