Doctors Establish Relationship between Obesity and Aggressive Prostate Cancer

The size of a cancerous prostate tumor is directly proportional to the weight of the patient and the bigger the tumor the more aggressive the cancer, a study published Wednesday has found.

A study published Wednesday has found the size of a cancerous prostate tumor is directly proportional to the weight of the patient and the bigger the tumor the more aggressive the cancer.

"As the patients' body mass index increased, the tumor volume increased synchronously," said Dr. Nilesh Patil, who led the six-year study at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.

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"Based on our results, we believe having a larger percentage of tumor volume may be contributing to the aggressive nature of the disease in men with a higher BMI," he said.

The body mass index, or BMI, is calculated by dividing a person's weight by the square of his or her height.

The doctors established the relationship after analyzing the cases of 3,327 patients who had cancerous prostate tumors surgical removed through a robotic procedure.

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The subjects of the research were divided into six categories according to their BMI, with a rating of 24.9 considered normal or underweight, 25 to 29.9 overweight, 30 to 34.9 obese and 40 or higher extremely obese.

The patients' median age was 60 in all the categories.

Body Mass Index
The BMI calculator helps you assess your weight indicating if it is normal or if you are underweight or overweight, based on your height.

The researchers weighed each tumor and compared them to a categorized database of prostate weight.

In each BMI category without exception, they found the patient's weight was in direct correlation with the size of the tumor.

Source-AFP

Doctors Establish Relationship Between Obesity and Agressive Prostate Cancer

The size of a cancerous prostate tumor is directly proportional to the weight of the patient and the bigger the tumor the more aggressive the cancer, a study published Wednesday has found.