New research published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) suggests the method used to calculate how obesity is measured may affect whether it is considered a risk factor for lung cancer. The JTO is an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.
Although the association between measures of obesity and both cancer incidence and outcome are clear in some solid tumor types such as breast, esophageal, and colon cancer, the relationship between obesity and lung cancer is more nuanced.
Now, a group of researchers led by Sai Yendamuri, MD, from Rosewell Comprehensive Cancer Cancer in Buffalo, N.Y., suggests that using traditional methods of measuring obesity, including the body mass index, might be one of the reasons why obesity is not considered a risk factor for lung cancer.
The researchers conducted an examination of patients with lung cancer before they underwent surgery and calculated their excess body weight using visceral fat index measured by CT scans.
“While BMI is easy to measure, its use has been criticized due to its inability to discriminate between fat and lean body mass,” Dr. Yendamuri said. “BMI also fails to account for body fat distribution. It is becoming increasingly recognized that 'visceral' or 'central obesity' is the primary driver behind the health outcomes linked to high body fat.”
iaslc.org/iaslc-news/press-...
Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Research Journal Pre-proof (PDF File):
