Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in men. It is a cancer that develops relatively slowly, so patients can live for many years after diagnosis. In fact, many patients diagnosed with prostate cancer eventually die of other causes before the cancer develops enough to cause their own problems.
Because of the prevalence of this cancer, researchers have been trying to understand what factors may lead to the development of more aggressive prostate cancer. Aurora Perez Cornago, who led the new study at Oxford University, said understanding the risk factors for fatal prostate cancer could help patients avoid some destructive lifestyles.
"Knowing more about the factors that increase the risk of prostate cancer is the key to preventing prostate cancer. Age, family history and black race are known risk factors, but they are immutable, so it is important to identify risk factors that may change," Perez Cornago said
Excess body fat was previously associated with a higher incidence rate of fatal prostate cancer. The new study sets out to gain a clearer understanding of the association between weight and prostate cancer through a meta-analysis of 19 previous studies, including data from more than 2.5 million men.
The researchers' overall findings confirm previous speculation that higher body weight is associated with a higher incidence of fatal prostate cancer. The study found that for every 5kg / m2 increase in body mass index (BMI), the risk of dying of prostate cancer increased by 10%.
The association between weight and fatal prostate cancer has nothing to do with where a person's weight is concentrated. But the researchers did calculate that every 10 cm increase in waist circumference increased the risk of dying from prostate cancer by 7%. According to UK data, the study estimated that if the average BMI of men decreased by 5 kg / m2, the number of deaths from prostate cancer would be reduced by about 1300 per year.
The link between weight and deadly prostate cancer may be clear, but it is still unclear what drives the link, Perez Cornago said. It is reasonable to suggest that higher body fat may promote the development of prostate cancer. In fact, a 2018 study did hypothesize a mechanistic link between dietary fat and metastatic progression of prostate cancer.
But the researchers also pointed out that other factors may play a role, including differences in cancer detection between obese men and healthy weight men. For example, prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations in blood samples may be lower in subjects with a high body mass index, which means that cancer may be found at a later stage, leading to worse results.
"More research is needed to determine whether this association is biologically driven or due to delayed detection in men with higher fat rates. In either case, our latest results provide another reason for men to strive to maintain a healthy weight," Perez Cornago said
The new study was published in the BMC medical journal 》Come on.