According to a meta-analysis carried out by a British team, rapid and involuntary weight loss is not insignificant. It is the second most important risk factor for 10 cancers.
- Nearly 355,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year
- Nearly 355,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year.
- Cancers are responsible for nearly 150,000 deaths every year.
Sudden, unexplained weight loss can be a sign of cancer. This was demonstrated by a meta-analysis conducted by researchers from the universities of Oxford and Exeter. Their work, funded by the National Institute for Health Research and published in the British Journal of General Practicerevealed that unintentional weight loss was the second most important risk factor for cancers, especially colorectal, lung, pancreatic and kidney cancers.
10 types of cancer concerned
To reach this conclusion, the scientists sifted through the results of 25 studies, i.e. data from more than 11.5 million patients collected between 1994 and 2015. They then showed that unintentional weight loss was associated 10 types of cancer: cancers of the prostate, colorectal, lung, esophagus, pancreas, ovary, renal and biliary system, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or even myeloma.
In patients over 60, this sudden weight loss exceeded the 3% risk threshold for urgent medical investigation, according to the study. The average risk of developing cancer was 6.7% higher in women over 60 and 14.2% in men of the same age.
“We have always known that unintended weight loss could be a cancer risk. This study brings together all the published evidence and proves beyond any doubt that it is important to take this into account in saving lives from cancer”, said Dr Willie Hamilton, of the University of Exeter and co-author of the study.
Weight loss, a sign not to be ignored
For Dr Brian Nicholson, of the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, there is indeed an urgent need to promote “simplified services”which would allow general practitioners to better take into account non-specific symptoms, such as weight loss, and realize that“they are vital and urgent if we are to fight cancer sooner and save lives.” “We now need to continue our research to define the most relevant combination of tests and provide recommendations on what level of weight loss patients and their GPs should be concerned about,” he indicated.