Obesity is linked to a rise in esophageal cancer

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Obesity has meant higher levels of esophageal cancer, but at least surgery to treat the condition is safe.
Increasing rates of obesity in the United States have led to a corresponding increase in gastrointestinal reflux disease, in which stomach acid goes back up into the esophagus. This, in turn, increases the rate of esophageal cancer - up by 350 per cent in the last 30 years, according to researchers at the University of Michigan.

One approach to treating this is an operation called transhiatal esophagectomy (THE). Some surgeons have questioned whether this process is as safe in obese patients as in lean patients. The Michigan researchers have carried out a comparison study to address this concern. In THE, most of the esophagus is removed, without the need to open up the chest. The stomach is then pulled towards the neck and connected there to the remaining esophagus. It was developed at the University of Michigan as an easier alternative for the patient to the standard surgery, which involves removing the esophagus through the chest.

The researchers examined the records of 133 profoundly obese patients who had had this operation at the University of Michigan between 1977 and 2006. These were matched with 133 non-obese patients having the same operation. Both groups had comparable outcomes. Therefore THE is safe for obese patients. However, the researchers point out that the University of Michigan sees a lot of patients for THE. For hospitals with less experience, the outcome for obese patients could be less good.

Source
Society of Thoracic Surgeons meeting 30th January 2007

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