Abstract:
An increasing number of women are obese. Several meta-analyses have studied the association between obesity and gynecological cancer and the effect of weight loss interventions on these outcomes. The proposed associations in previous meta-analyses could be causal but could also be affected by different inherent biases. Recent studies have provided solid evidence for an independent, linear, positive correlation between a pathologically increased body mass index and the probability of developing endometrial cancer, premenopausal ovarian cancer and postmenopausal breast cancer. The pathogenesis is complex and the subject of current research. Proposed causes include pathologically increased serum levels of sexual steroids and adiponectin, obesity-induced insulin resistance, and systemic inflammatory processes. The scientific evidence for an association between obesity and other gynecological malignancies is, however, less solid. The clinical relevance of obesity as a risk factor for cervical cancer and vulvar cancer appears to be negligible. Nevertheless, obesity appears to have a negative impact on prognosis and oncologic outcomes for all gynecological cancers.
