ABSTRACT
Overweight and obesity are accompanied by increased risk and worse prognosis for multiple malignancies; individuals who are overweight or obese should follow standard cancer screening guidelines. Improved awareness and understanding of how excess fat, overweight, and obesity, and high-fat diets, promote cancer development and progression should contribute to improved lifestyle efforts to control obesity, reduce cancer risk, and mitigate some of its effects on prognosis. The beneficial consequences of intentional weight loss have been most successfully demonstrated by bariatric surgery in which obese patients undergo one of several surgical procedures to reduce and/or bypass gastric function and capacity. Typically focusing on behavioral treatment, weight management programs offer a comprehensive approach to obesity and overweight, including a large element of coaching. Obesity is a risk factor for cancer recurrence after initial diagnosis and treatment, and can lead to worse outcomes. A number of guidelines on physical activity and diet for cancer prevention are accessible to the general public and health practitioners.
