Conquering Obesity and Cancer

Saturday, 04 October 2008 10:19

I have had enough of cancer. This year cancer has claimed the lives of two sister-in-laws and an aunt. A good friend is hanging strong as she continues her fight. It’s easy to feel helpless during these times. I can’t eliminate the pain and suffering that goes along with this horrible disease. I can’t make the cancer go away. I can’t make someone get better.

I find myself thinking about all of this often, as the cancer has invaded my life rather completely. I skipped the denial and bargaining part of the grief process. I think it’s my nursing background that knew all too well what to expect. I felt anger, however, for a while until resignation and acceptance set in. Sadness has been mingled in all along and will always be with me because I miss them. I did finally let myself grieve and with this came a great deal of crying. It’s heartbreaking, literally, to experience this senseless loss. Thank goodness for my daughter during all of this as she and I helped each other cope.

In my mind I ponder whether cancer will ever be cured once and for all. If not cured, can it be conquered 100% of the time? I worry about my granddaughters and what the future holds for them when it comes to cancer. I hope it’s a much more positive world.

The fall months are very active for cancer awareness and the disease stays top of mind for many of us. For example, September is ovarian cancer awareness month, October is breast cancer awareness month and November is lung cancer awareness month. Maybe all this awareness triggers my scheduling of mammograms and annual exams during this time of the year. Also, the prolific pink ribbon icon continually reminds me to do my monthly checks as I always keep it visible at work and at home.

And… I am well aware of the fact that obesity and cancer go hand in hand.

On a positive note, cancer stemming from obesity is something we can prevent and do something about. It can be conquered proactively. Weight loss is important and getting to and maintaining a healthy weight goes a long way in preventing obesity related cancer. Don’t be afraid of a surgical intervention either. The LAP-BAND® adjustable gastric banding system is safe and effective for most people.

If you aren’t mindful of obesity’s impact on cancer, the following information from the National Cancer Institute may be of interest.

It is estimated that 41,000 new cases of cancer in the United States were thought to be a result of obesity in 2002. That equates to 3.2% of all new cancers. Fourteen percent of deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of deaths in women were due to obesity.

After menopause, obese women have 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer than those that are of a healthy weight. Obese women are also at a higher risk of dying from breast cancer after menopause compared to lean women. It is estimated that 11,000 to 18,000 deaths per year from breast cancer in US women over age 50 might be avoided if women could maintain a BMI under 25 throughout their adult lives.

Obese women produce more estrogen as estrogen is produced in fat tissue and after menopause, when the ovaries stop producing hormones, fat tissue becomes the most important estrogen source. Estrogen levels in postmenopausal women are 50 to 100 percent higher among heavy versus lean women. Moreover, it’s difficult to detect a breast tumor in obese women versus lean women.

Obese women have a two to four times greater risk of developing uterine cancer than lean women. Obesity accounts for about 40 percent of endometrial cancer cases in affluent societies.

An increased risk of colon cancer is reported for men with high BMI’s. Overall, colon cancer occurs more frequently in people who are obese than in those that are lean. Other cancers linked to obesity are kidney cancer, esophageal and stomach cancer and gallbladder cancer.

In closing, I can’t bring my family members back, but I can be proactive about cancer prevention. And fighting obesity is certainly something that I can do. I challenge you to do this as well. Let’s all work on conquering obesity and obesity related cancers together!