MEDIA INFORMATION from
BAPEN the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Registered Charity No.1023927
Issued Tuesday, 21 November 2003
World's Fastest Growing Cancer Linked To Obesity
New study to be presented at BAPEN demonstrates new danger
Telford, 21 November 2003 - Data presented at this year's BAPEN Annual Meeting has found that obesity is the major risk factor in the development of oesophageal Adenocarcinoma (ACA), the tumour with the fastest increasing incidence in the world1. A massive 80% of patients with ACA were overweight or obese prior to their illness.
The age standardised rate of ACA in Ireland and in Britain is one of the highest in the world, and the increasing incidence exceeds that of any type of cancer. This is a worrying trend, as ACA is a lethal tumour - only 1 in 10 patients survive more than five-years.
The study, conducted at St. James's Hospital in Dublin, investigated over 600 Irish men and women with cancer over a ten-year period. Ireland has seen a 67% increase in the incidence of obesity over the last decade2, and the incidence of ACA is increasing by around 10% per year. ACA is linked to acid reflux, and the increase in cancer may be explained by increased reflux due to increased central obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
Aoife Ryan, research dietician and co-author of the study with Professor John Reynolds, commented, "This research adds to emerging evidence that obesity increases several forms of cancer, and that many forms of cancer are now preventable by maintaining normal BMI throughout adult life. Efforts to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity could reverse this troubling cancer trend. We are now only at the beginning of our understanding of this devastating epidemic."
Dr. Alastair Forbes, Chairman of BAPEN and Consultant Gastroenterologist at St Mark's Hospital said, "This study demonstrates once again how important controlling body weight is in maintaining good health. The impact of the obesity epidemic in this country is cause for huge concern, and is a major focus of our BAPEN annual meeting this year."
Contact details
For further information please contact:
Jacqui Dyson - Tel: 07713 406290 - Email: jdyson@gciuk.com
Ian McDermott - Tel: 020 7072 4344 - Email: imcdermott@gciuk.com
Reference
1. Pera M, Recent Changes in the Epidemiology of Esophageal Cancer, Surg Oncol, 2001, Nov;10(3):81-90
2. McCarthy SN, Harrington KE et al., Analysis of the Anthropometric data from the North/South Ireland Food Consumption Survey, Public Health Nutrition, 2001, Oct,; 4 (5A):1099-106.
Notes to Editors
BAPEN is the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, a charity dedicated to advancing clinical nutrition. Their Annual Meeting is held at the Telford International Centre, November 19-20.
This release is based upon the abstract 'Obesity as a Risk Factor for Adenocarcinoma of the Oesophagus' by A. Ryan1, S Rowley2, P Flood1, and JV Reynolds2, Departments of 1Clinical Nutrition and 2Surgery, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.