New evidence shows that prostate cancer tumors are directly related to a patient's weight.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, and researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit conducted a six-year study of over 3,000 men with the disease.
After patients underwent surgery to remove the cancer tumors, the tumors were weighed and compared to a database of prostate weights. Patients were then placed into six categories according to their body mass index.
It was found that the heavier patients had the larger tumors. Tumor size is an important part of diagnosing a patient as it is one of the main components in evaluating the stage of prostate cancer.
Like many other cancers, a smaller tumor usually means a lower stage of cancer and a higher likelihood of survival. Researchers believe that the larger prostate tumors in heavier patients could explain why the disease is more aggressive in obese men.
