Bariatric Surgery Tied to Drop in Uterine Cancer Risk

[southernlady]

Bariatric Surgery Tied to Drop in Uterine Cancer Risk

TAMPA, Fla. -- Obese women who maintained weight loss after bariatric surgery seemed to have a 71% lower risk of developing uterine cancer as compared with women who were obese and did not undergo surgery, investigators reported here.

Overall, obesity almost tripled the risk of uterine cancer as compared with non-obese women. The cancer risk posed by obesity declined sharply in the subgroup of women who had bariatric surgery and remained significantly lower in patients who kept the weight off versus those who did not (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.27-0.32).

The query produced records for 7,431,858 admissions, including 103,797 patients with a history of bariatric and 44,345 cases of uterine cancer. Investigators separated the patients into currently obese and non-obese groups and further divided them into groups who had a history of bariatric surgery and those who did not.

Overall, non-obese women with a history of bariatric surgery had the lowest risk of uterine cancer at 270/100,000 admissions. Non-obese women without a history of bariatric surgery had the second lowest risk at 496/100,000 admissions.

Among obese patients, those with a history of bariatric surgery had a uterine cancer rate of 682/100,000 admissions, and obese women without a history of bariatric surgery had the highest risk at 1,409/100,000 admissions.

Investigators then calculated the relative risk of uterine cancer as compared with women who were obese and had no history of bariatric procedures. Non-obese women without a history of bariatric surgery had an 81% lower risk (RR 0.19), followed by non-obese women with a history of bariatric surgery (RR 0.29).

Women who were obese despite having undergone bariatric surgery still had 52% lower risk of uterine cancer versus women who were obese and had no history of bariatric procedures (RR 0.48).

 

[Elizabeth N.]

That looks to me like a correlation with maintained weight loss, not with WLS.

 

[southernlady]

True, EN but for most of us, maintained weight loss is only possible because of the WLS...so which is first, the chicken or the egg?

 

[jpcello]

I wonder if it could also be that when you're obese you avoid doctors, particularly OB/GYN - I know I did after a bad experience years ago. I now go once a year for a complete internal exam and mammogram.

 

[debraymiller]

I got checkups every year, I was going thu menopause , loss my Mom...three months to the day and time loss my Step-mom......I started bleeding. thought it was because of all going on,but when I keep bleeding for a week and heavy knew something was wrong. .Doctor thought maybe just D&C . she was in shock when test came back I had uterine cancer. Found in time was still stage 0. If I had not know my body could of just ignored . I had loss about 30 lbs Doctor said it dumped estrogen into my system.

 

[southernlady]

I got checkups every year, I was going thu menopause , loss my Mom...three months to the day and time loss my Step-mom......I started bleeding. thought it was because of all going on,but when I keep bleeding for a week and heavy knew something was wrong. .Doctor thought maybe just D&C . she was in shock when test came back I had uterine cancer. Found in time was still stage 0. If I had not know my body could of just ignored . I had loss about 30 lbs Doctor said it dumped estrogen into my system.

Sorry you lost your mom and step-mom...and so GLAD you caught yours early.

And welcome to the forum.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I wonder if it could also be that when you're obese you avoid doctors, particularly OB/GYN - I know I did after a bad experience years ago. I now go once a year for a complete internal exam and mammogram.

this is so true!

 

[JackieOnLine]

Hi Debra, welcome to the forum!

glad they found your cancer early, omg.

 

[Terri]

Hi! Welcome! So happy your cancer was found and treated in very early stages. Sorry for the loss of your mom and step mom. You definitely hard few months there.

 

[debraymiller]

Thank you all.

 

[Sandy]

I would hope that all of us females stay on top of our paps despite this study. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer 2 1/2 years after my DS. It was caught extremely early and only required surgery (hysterectomy) for treatment. Since it was caught so early it seems that it developed well after my weight loss. Please stay diligent.

 

[Terri]

@Sandy thanks for the reminder that even though the study shows that our risks are lower, it is still possible. Glad that yours was caught early.

 

[Sandy]

@Sandy thanks for the reminder that even though the study shows that our risks are lower, it is still possible. Glad that yours was caught early.

Thanks, Terri!