PADRAIC

PADRAIC 5: Systematic review and meta analysis of behavioural weight loss intervention on cancer incidence

The presence of overweight/ obesity is a well-established risk factor for the development of cancer. As defined by IARC in 2016, there is sufficient evidence linking excess body adiposity for 13 types of cancer1. Recent research suggests that there may be further cancer types that have an independently increased risk of development in the presence of obesity2. 

Globally, rates of obesity are on the rise and consequently so are obesity-related cancer rates4. With the rise in obesity and cancer, there is potential for significant public health impact. To date, no developed country has been able to reduce the rise in rates of obesity3. It must therefore be considered whether tertiary prevention through weight-loss intervention is able to reduce the risk of obesity-related cancer.

Weight-loss interventions can be categorized into behavioral change, pharmacological and surgical. Bariatric meta-analyses have shown that weight-loss following bariatric surgery is associated with a reduction in cancer incidence5. Behavioral weight loss interventions and cancer incidence has been studied, with the last published meta-analysis in 20176, showing a borderline non-significant reduction in risk of cancer for those assigned behavioral intervention. Since 2017 there have been several large longer term behavioral change weight loss RCTs7, 8 that recorded cancer outcomes. As obesity rates rise, it is important to understand whether behavioral weight loss interventions can be effective interventions for obesity-related cancer control.

This systematic review is currently under completion and is registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024582375)