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ASCO issues policy statement targeting obesity–cancer link
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ASCO has released a position statement outlining the society’s commitment to reducing the effect of obesity on cancer and establishing a multipronged initiative to accomplish this goal.
The position statement, published online in the
“With nearly three in four Americans obese or overweight, obesity has become a tremendous public health challenge that also impacts cancer care and prevention today,” Clifford A. Hudis, MD, FACP, chief of the Breast Cancer Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and immediate past president of ASCO, said in a press release. “Cancer doctors need to play a lead role in reducing obesity’s impact, both in the care of our patients and as advocates for broader action. We can’t allow obesity to undo decades of progress in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”
Clifford A. Hudis
ASCO recommendations highlight four critical priorities, including improved education and awareness about associations between obesity and cancer; expansion of new physician tools and resources; intensified and coordinated research; and policy changes to increase access to obesity screening, diagnosis and treatment.
Obesity management for patients with cancer
To ensure that physicians are better prepared to incorporate obesity prevention and management into standard care and provide patients with access to necessary services, ASCO recommends:
- Practical guidance and tools for physicians and patients, including weight-management guidelines for cancer survivors, tools for initiating conversations about weight loss with patients, and resources to help patients manage their weight. ASCO recently issued a guide for oncology providers to support discussions with patients about the effect of obesity on cancer risk and cancer-related mortality, as well as a companion guide for patients;
- Increased access to weight-management services, and eliminating significant gaps in private and public insurance coverage of weight management services. In addition, ASCO has called upon the CMS to add obesity to the list of chronic diseases eligible for the proposed Complex Chronic Care Management Services payments. ASCO has also encouraged the Department of Health and Human Services to clearly define access to obesity treatment services in the new state health care exchange plans under the Affordable Care Act.
Prevention of obesity-related cancers
ASCO’s policy statement also highlighted several initiatives to help spread awareness of the obesity–cancer link and promote policies and collaborations needed to prevent obesity-related cancers, including:
- Increased public education, fostering greater public awareness about the role of a healthy lifestyle in cancer prevention and building on a wide range of ASCO resources offered for patients with cancer;
- Support for healthy community and workplace environments by working with other stakeholders to advance necessary policies at the national level. ASCO has also called on oncology care providers to help improve health in their communities by serving as role models and advocates for local change;
- Advocacy for improved coverage of recommended treatments for obesity among public and private payers, and for increased access to services at the community level;
- Defining and pursuing a robust research agenda.
“Research has clearly established that there is a critical relationship between cancer and obesity, but more work is needed to determine whether weight loss, increased physical activity and improved dietary quality can lower cancer rates and improve outcomes,” Jennifer A. Ligibel, MD, who serves on ASCO’s Cancer Survivorship and Cancer Prevention Committees, said in the release. “No single organization or medical specialty can address obesity alone, and we will collaborate with other groups to find evidence-based solutions for our patients.”
Later this year, ASCO will host a research summit on obesity and cancer, gathering researchers from multiple disciplines to pinpoint specific research priorities and approaches related to obesity and cancer.
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