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know exactly what causes cancer, then understanding why the obese develop

cancer more often also becomes impossible.

Despite not understanding the why and how of obesity’s relationship to

cancer, we do know that a relationship exists. People suffering from obesity

are at an increased risk of developing specific types of cancer. What kinds of

cancer does obesity effect? Let’s look at the most common.

Breast Cancer

Many studies have found that obesity impacts breast

cancer two ways. First, it tremendously increases the

postmenopausal woman’s risk of getting the disease,

and second, it increases the likelihood she won’t sur-

vive. (Obesity lowers survival rates, not only of can-

cer, but also of many health conditions.)

The main reason for increased fatality rates is that excess fat obscures

and delays discovery of the tumors. A study presented at the 2010 American

Society of Breast Surgeons showed that the fatty tissue made it harder for an

obese person to feel the tumor when self-examining. If the person did not go

in for yearly screenings, by the time the tumor was found it would most

likely be in a later stage of cancer.

Another factor in these high death rates is that obese men and women

tend not to survive major surgery as well as people with a healthy weight.

And cancer often requires surgery. However, fat per se is not the direct cause

of such frailty. A host of obesity-related complications like high blood pres-

sure, heart disease, and diabetes are usually to blame.

A recent study published in the journal

Cancer

not only connects obesity

with being diagnosed with cancer, but also states that overweight and obese

women have a greater chance of cancer recurrence and therefore a greater

chance of dying due to breast cancer.

For women, the overall effect of obesity on potential breast cancer

A Stealthy Invader: Cancer / 61