Local cancer specialists are advising women to pay closer attention to body fat. A recent study which indicates that those who are overweight or obese at the time of being diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to die prematurely from the disease.
The study is important, because it shows that extra body fat can lead to hormonal changes that make the most common form of breast cancer more dangerous. About 80 percent of breast cancers involve the so called estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor positive tumors, which are generally referred to as ER or PR positive.
Those cancers are stimulated by female hormones and women who are overweight or obese have higher estrogen levels. According to her, the study proves that women who have cancers that are ER or PR positive face increased risk of the negative effects of overweight or obesity. Vaughan notes that it has been known that body fat increases the risk of breast cancer coming back, but the experts didn’t know it was based on this estrogen receptor issue.
According to the study’s leader, Dr. Joseph Sparano of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, N.Y., the study shows that obesity at diagnosis of breast cancer results in about a 30 percent higher risk of recurrence and a nearly 50 percent higher risk of death despite optimal treatment, such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy.
The discovery will make doctors to highlight the importance of women paying more attention to body mass index, or BMI, to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. The BMI is calculated on the basis of a weight and height and you can find BMI calculator on the web.
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Women should look at their weight and see where they are in the spectrum of overweight versus obese. When they are diagnosed with breast cancer, they should be very careful not to gain any weight.
The growing rate of obesity has a potential impact on breast cancer. Higher obesity rates are likely to result in higher breast cancer rates.
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Obesity is a major cause of diabetes and contributes to blood clots, stroke and many other serious illnesses, that is why is important for all people to maintain healthy weight. Last but not least.
