Health

Overweight cancer patients more likely to get second cancer diagnosis, study says

By Mallika Marshall, MD

September 18, 2024 / 5:31 PM EDT / CBS Boston

Study: Obese cancer patients are more likely to develop a second form of cancer

BOSTON - Patients who are overweight when they're first diagnosed with cancer may be at higher risk of developing a second cancer.

Investigators at the American Cancer Society looked at data on nearly 27,000 people who were diagnosed with cancer. They found that compared to cancer survivors with a normal BMI, those who were overweight were 15% more likely to be diagnosed with a second primary cancer. Those who were obese were 34% more likely.

The risk was even higher for obesity-related cancers, like colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer. They said it's important for providers to counsel patients on weight management and for overweight patients and their doctors to be especially vigilant when monitoring for additional cancers.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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