Andrew John Li, MD
Gynecologic Oncologist
Obesity has been linked to serious medical conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and several types of cancer. Now, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Women's Cancer Research Institute (WCRI) at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, obesity also is likely to affect the outcomes of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
The study, published in the American Cancer Society's journal Cancer, showed that obesity reduced survival rates, shortened the length of time to disease recurrence, and resulted in earlier death from the cancer than for women diagnosed at their ideal body weight. (Affecting almost one in 60 women, ovarian cancer is particularly lethal as most women will be diagnosed with the disease when it is already in an advanced stage.)
"This study is the first to identify weight as an independent factor in ovarian cancer in disease progression and overall survival, suggesting that there is an element in the fat tissue itself that influences the outcome of this disease in obese women," said Andrew Li, MD, the study's principal investigator.
In the study, Li and his colleagues examined data from 216 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer; 35 of the women were obese and 108 were ideal weight. "While further molecular studies are warranted, our study suggests that fat tissue excretes a hormone or protein that causes ovarian cancer cells to grow more aggressively," said Li, who is also a physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai. "The next steps will be to examine this relationship more closely, and to determine the exact biological mechanisms that influence tumor growth in ovarian cancer."
- Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute
- Cedars-Sinai Outpatient Cancer Center
- Obstetric and Gynecological Services
