Role of Obesity in Future Prostate Cancer Risk

In that previous studies suggest that obesity associates with risk of high-grade prostate cancer, Andrew Rundle, from Columbia University (New York, USA), and colleagues assessed the role of obesity in the risk of future prostate cancer, among men with an initial benign biopsy of the prostate.  The team followed 6,692 men who were biopsied or underwent or transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) with benign findings, conducting a nested case-control study of 494 prostate cancer cases and controls.  After taking into account factors including family history of prostate cancer, the researchers concluded that obesity at the time of the initial biopsy was associated with a 57% increased risk of developing prostate cancer during the 14 years of follow-up.  The study authors conclude that: “Obesity is associated with the presence of [prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia] in benign specimens and with future prostate cancer risk after an initial benign finding.”