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Overweight Prostate Cancer Sufferers More Likely to Die of the Disease

Jun 14, 2009 by TacticularCancer.com

Findings of Study

The study found that prostate cancer sufferers who were overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9 kg for every square meter) before they were diagnosed with the disease had a 47% higher chance of dying from it, as compared to those in the healthy weight range. For men who were obese (BMI of 30 and above) before they were diagnosed with the disease, their risk was a hefty 2.66 times that of men with healthy weight. The trends were found to be significant even after controlling for clinical stage and Gleason grade.

Further, men with high C-peptide concentrations were also more likely to succumb to the disease. The prostate cancer mortality of those in the highest quartile was 2.38 times that of those in the lowest quartile. C-peptide concentrations give an indication of insulin levels, which in turn tends to be higher in heavier people.

When body weight and C-peptide concentrations were combined, the increase in risk becomes greatly magnified. Overweight or obese sufferers of prostate cancer with high C-peptide concentrations were 4.12 times as likely to die from the disease as compared to those with low C-peptide levels and normal body weight. This was after other clinical predictors were already accounted for.

Bottom Line

As it is, obesity already comes with a host of health risks – stroke, heart disease, to name a couple. Now, there is one more reason to embrace healthier lifestyle and dietary habits to keep one’s weight in check.

As Dr Ma puts it, the findings of this study gives ‘further impetus for men to avoid becoming overweight and to decrease their risk of metabolic syndrome by physical activity and diet‘.

Main Source

Prediagnostic body-mass index, plasma C-peptide concentration, and prostate cancer-specific mortality in men with prostate cancer: a long-term survival analysis (http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(08)70235-3/fulltext)

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