Prostate tumors look worse in obese men

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CHICAGO, July 19 (UPI) -- A study indicates men with early stage prostate cancer are more likely to have worse-looking tumors if they are overweight or obese, U.S. researchers say.

Vincent Freeman of the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues examined body mass index, prostate-specific antigen levels, physical exam results and prostate cancer biopsy results in 119 men who were awaiting surgery for clinically localized prostate cancer.

"Endpoint results showed that the risk for cancer recurrence increased with increasing BMI. Men in the upper quartile for BMI were nearly eight times more likely to have prostate cancers that had a moderate-to-high risk for recurrence after treatment compared with men in the lower quartile," Freeman said in a statement. "The risk of having larger and more aggressive-appearing tumors were more likely to recur after surgery, did increase with increasing body mass index."

Freeman said the risk was three times higher for overweight men and six times higher for obese men, compared with healthy-weight men. He advised men to achieve and stay at a healthy weight.

The study was presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.