Researchers discover key factor that makes women 80% more likely to die from breast cancer
Being obese makes breast cancer survivors up to 80 per cent more likely to die from the disease, alarming research has suggested.
Danish researchers found women with collection of weight-related health problems, like high blood pressure and high blood sugars, as well as excess body fat, were almost 70 per cent more likely to see their disease return.
The scientists theorise that this combination — medically known as metabolic syndrome — triggers chronic inflammation in the body, which prevents the immune system from effectively fighting cancer cells.
Some have also suggested that obesity fuels the hormone oestrogen, which can encourage some breast cancer tumours to grow.
Experts today said the findings were significant and urged health leaders to introduce screening for obesity-related disease in breast cancer survivors.
Studies show that around 60 per cent of those who are obese suffer metabolic syndrome.
‘Making healthy lifestyle choices could decrease the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in this population and ultimately enhance breast cancer survival,’ said Dr Sixten Harborg, an oncologist at Aarhus University Hospital and study author.
It’s thought that between 20-30 per cent of all breast cancer cases in the UK are preventable via lifestyle choices, such as maintaining a healthy weight and drinking less alcohol.
Breast cancer survival has doubled in the last 50 years in part thanks to regular screening and increased awareness of symptoms.
In the study, which will be presented at The European Congress on Obesity (ECO) next month in Madrid, scientists analysed data on 42,135 breast cancer survivors.
They looked for patterns in recurrence and survival in patients who had metabolic syndrome at the time of their initial diagnosis.
Results published in the The Journal of Internal Medicine showed dramatically poorer outcomes in patients with obesity-related conditions.
These findings were consistent across the three continents covered by the study — Europe, North America, and Asia.
‘It is likely that multiple interacting mechanisms—primarily driven by obesity-induced molecular changes and chronic inflammation—underlie the link between metabolic syndrome and poor breast cancer outcomes,’ said Dr Harborg.
As well as breast cancer, metabolic syndrome is also a major risk factor for other deadly diseases like heart problems, stroke, osteoarthritis and liver and kidney disease.
Around one in four adults in the UK are thought to have metabolic syndrome.
As well as obesity, drinking alcohol and smoking also increase the risk of developing the collection of problems.
Breast cancer is the UK’s most common cancer with almost 56,000 cases diagnosed per year
Health professionals suggest following a healthy diet featuring fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, as well as exercising regularly to prevent the condition.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Britain, with almost 56,000 cases diagnosed each year.
This accounts for about one in six of all cancer cases, equivalent to about 150 diagnoses per day.
Approximately 11,400 women die from breast cancer each year, making it the second biggest cause of cancer deaths among women.
Survival rates for breast cancer vary depending on what stage it is diagnosed but, overall, three out of four women are alive 10 years after their diagnosis.
