Weight gain and increased waist measurement are risk factors in endometrial cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

The risk of endometrial cancer is higher for women whose waist measurement is more than 34 inches, according to a new study.
Waist measurement is a good indicator of abdominal obesity. Researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) now reveal that having a waist measurement over 34 inches will almost double a woman's risk of endometrial cancer, compared with having a waist measurement of 31 inches or less. The same is true for women who have gained more than 44 pounds since the age of 20. This equates to an increase in risk from one in 73 to one in 40.

The new report from EPIC covers nearly a quarter of a million women in ten European countries. The link was especially strong among postmenopausal women and those who had never been on either the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy. It is already known that obesity is a risk factor for cancer; this new work singles out endometrial cancer as a special concern. Further research is now needed to understand how hormones influence this risk.

Source
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition 19th February 2007