JAMA Clinical Reviews Obesity-Related Cancer
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Mar 9, 2026 Neil Iyengar, Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology at Emory who studies obesity-related cancer biology and survivorship. He discusses which cancers are linked to excess weight and how adipose dysfunction, inflammation, and metabolic shifts may promote tumors. He covers impacts on anti-tumor immunity, the role of the microbiome, weight-loss strategies including GLP-1 agents, and prevention by avoiding obesity.
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Obesity Amplifies Other Cancer Risks
- Obesity is a prevalent, complex physiologic risk factor that often acts moderately alone but amplifies other cancer risks.
- Neil Iyengar notes obesity compounds genetic and environmental exposures, raising overall cancer risk given its high population prevalence.
List Of Cancers Strongly Linked To Obesity
- Twelve cancers show strong associations with obesity including endometrial, esophageal, colorectal, liver, pancreas, postmenopausal breast, prostate, kidney, ovarian, thyroid, gastric, and gallbladder.
- Neil Iyengar highlights evolving data that may add more obesity-linked cancers over time.
BMI Thresholds And Dose Response
- Cancer risk rises with BMI in a dose-response way; key thresholds are BMI≥25 for some cancers and ≥30 for clearer effects.
- For postmenopausal breast cancer risk rises from BMI≈27, and colorectal cancer shows increases from BMI≥25, Iyengar explains.