Obese patients face significantly higher odds of dying from early-stage squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, according to a new study in the journal Cancer.
Cancer researchers from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York have found the first-ever link between obesity and diminished survival in any head and neck cancer (Cancer, January, 21, 2014).
In earlier studies, obesity has been associated with a poorer prognosis for several common cancers, including those of the breast and colon, but the link has not been as easily understood in other cancers, including those of the head and neck.
"The role of obesity across several common cancers is a focus of increased attention," stated senior author Clifford Hudis, MD, chief of Memorial Sloan Kettering's Breast Cancer Medicine Service and current president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in a press release.
The findings could lead to further refined and tailored treatment strategies for oral cancer patients, according to the study authors.
The study included data from more than 150 patients diagnosed with SCC of the tongue. The researchers looked at the relationship between body mass index and how long patients survived after surgery. Their analysis revealed that after three years, 68% of obese patients were alive, compared with 87% of normal-weight patients.
While it's not yet clear why obesity affects survival in patients with tongue cancer, previously published studies by this research team showed that obesity caused low-grade, chronic inflammation in breast fat tissue.
"The inflammation boosted levels of inflammatory mediators, which, among many other things, increase the production of estrogen," said lead study author Andrew Dannenberg, MD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. "When a fat cell dies, it leads to local inflammation in the area. Obese patients with larger fat cells are more likely to have this low-grade inflammation, which could promote the cancer's growth through several mechanisms."
The link increases the possibility that the same biological process could occur in other sites in the body. If such a connection is confirmed, it could lead to the development of anti-inflammatory treatments, including specific diets, and interventions aimed at weight loss to improve outcomes in these patients, the study authors concluded.
