ASCO: Obesity a Risk Factor and Complication in Cancer

Journal of Clinical Oncology

ASCO called for increased education, research and advocacy to reduce the toll of obesity, both as a leading cause of cancer and a complication in the care of cancer patients. ASCO recommendations outline four critical priorities, including increased education and awareness about links between obesity and cancer; development of new physician tools and resources; intensified and highly coordinated research; and policy changes to increase access to obesity screening, diagnosis and treatment. The statement was published online on October 1, 2014 in the .

In releasing its first-ever policy statement on cancer and obesity, ASCO underscores that obesity is becoming a central challenge in cancer prevention and care, and is projected to soon overtake tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States. By 2030, almost a half million Americans may be diagnosed with obesity-related cancers annually.Among people with cancer, obesity can increase the risk of cancer recurrence and lower survival. In fact, one study suggests that being overweight or obese contributes to as many as one in five cancer-related deaths.

Link to the ASCO press release: http://bit.ly/1nKB7HT

Article in Evidence-Based Oncology on the obesity-cancer link: http://bit.ly/UfMV7t