Bethesda, Maryland — A new study suggests that weight-loss surgery may cut the risk of cancer by more than half. Most people undergo surgery like this to lose weight and reduce her chances of developing type 2 diabetes, but researchers have found additional benefits.
At 10-year follow-up, only 4% of patients undergoing weight loss surgery developed obesity-related cancers. In contrast, 8.9% of those who did not undergo surgery were diagnosed with obesity-related cancers after 10 years.
The study examined the records of more than 55,700 obese patients who underwent surgery and compared them with a similar number of similar patients who did not undergo surgery. Patients underwent various surgeries including sleeve gastrectomy, gastric bypass, and gastric band surgery.
Of those who had surgery, 2,206 developed obesity-related cancers, and 4,960 of those who did not have such cancers. Researchers took other risk factors into account, including smoking history, alcohol use, heart disease, hormone therapy, and other illnesses.
“The main benefit people think of bariatric surgery is weight loss and the associated physical and psychological benefits, such as improved blood pressure and diabetes,” says lead author Case Western Reserve University and a fellow in gastroenterology at the university. said Dr. Vibhu Chittajallu, In a statement, the hospital. “This study adds to the building of evidence that the significant weight loss associated with bariatric surgery may also have a protective effect against cancer formation. Although more research is needed to understand how it affects us, the important findings from this study suggest that it is an exciting avenue for further research.”
The study will be presented at Gastroenterology Week 2023, May 6-9.
South West News Service writer Alice Clifford contributed to this report.