Bone Cancer Risk Greater in Obese Women

While previous research linking bone cancer andobesity has been inconclusive, a new prospective studyprovides additional evidence of obesity increasing a woman'srisk of developing multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer. Researchersfrom the University of Minnesota Cancer Center reviewed data from 37,083postmenopausal women who were followed for 16 years. They found severalcharacteristics that indicated a greater risk for developing the cancer.Women with a body mass index (BMI) >30 (obese) were 1.5 times as likelyto develop multiple myeloma as women with a normal BMI. Among thatgroup, women with the highest weight, waist size, and hip size doubled theirrisk for developing the cancer. Considerable research has been completedlinking obesity to other cancers, but linking obesity to multiple myeloma is anewer theory.

Ms. Farley is a freelance medical writer based in Wakefield, RI.