Obesity and the risk of malignancy: An evolving saga

Abstract

Worldwide, the prevalence of both obesity and cancer are rising. So far, there is an association between obesity and an increased risk of at least 20 different cancers and this number is increasing. The mechanism behind obesity increasing the risk of cancer varies. The importance of looking at all aspects of obesity, such as hip to waist ratio, body fat distribution and waist circumference, in addition to BMI has been acknowledged in order to further understand these mechanisms. The duration of time a person is obese for, and whether their weight gain was in childhood or adulthood can also affect risk of cancer, however this can be hard to distinguish as obese children and adolescents frequently remain obese into adulthood.