In an effort to prevent and treat patients with cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology is speaking out against a new threat – Obesity.
Calling obesity “a central challenge,” the ASOC is taking a new public stance against obesity. According to a statement by the ASOC, the group plans to:
• Increase its efforts to educate the public and raise awareness about the links between obesity and cancer.
• Intensify research about the link between cancer and obesity.
• Develop new resources and guidelines for clinicians.
• Implement policy changes to improve access to obesity screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Discuss new strategies and research at a medical summit later this year.
Former ASCO President Clifford Hudis, MD, said the goal is to make sweeping improvements, just like other disease prevention groups have done in their fight against obesity.
“Obviously, nobody is so simplistic as to suggest that we simply counsel patients to lose weight,” said Dr. Hudis. “Our sister societies in many areas of medicine have been highlighting the risks of obesity with regard to diabetes, heart disease, and other problems for decades.”
Dr. Hudis said the renewed desire to speak out against the link between obesity and cancer comes from a previous study that suggested as many as 20 percent of cancer deaths could be attributed to obesity.
“Research has clearly established that there is a critical relationships between cancer and obesity, but more work is needed to determine whether weight loss, increased physical activity, and improved dietary quality can lower cancer rates and improve outcomes,” added Jennifer Ligibel, MD, chair of the ASCO’s cancer survivorship and cancer prevention committees. “No single organization or medical specialty can address obesity alone, and we will collaborate with other groups to find evidence-based solutions for our patients.”
Dr. Silverman comments
It’s little surprise that obesity is now being linked to cancer.
If you continually shove junk into your body, should we really be surprised if junk develops inside your body? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You only get one body, so treat it right.
Related source: MedPage Today