Weight Gain Increases Recurrence of Prostate Cancer

Recent research has shown that arapid weight gain between the ages of 25and 40 will double the likelihood of arecurrence of prostate cancer. The sameresearch also suggests that men who are 40years of age and obese at the time of theirprostate cancer diagnosis will also have a greaterrisk for recurrence. Researchers from the Universityof Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center evaluated selfreportedmeasures of obesity for 526 prostate cancerpatients who received radical prostatectomy. They found thatmen who were obese when diagnosed had higher rates of biochemical failure—the increase in prostate-specific antigen levels in the blood after theprostate is removed. Researchers also determined that men who were obeseat age 40 had significantly lower biochemical failure-free survival than thosewho were not obese at age 40. Not only was obesity between the ages of 25and 40 associated with higher risk of biochemical failure, but so was anannual weight gain of 3.5 lb or more between age 25 time of prostate cancerdiagnosis. Men who continuously gained weight from age 25 were morelikely to experience a progression of the cancer sooner than those who keptoff the weight.

Ms. Farley is a freelance medical writer based in Wakefield, RI.