Metabolic syndrome associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Past research has indicated that metabolic syndrome increased older women’s the risk of endometrial cancer, the most common cancer of the female reproductive organs. However, whether the association was due to obesity or metabolic syndrome was unclear.

A new study from the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that metabolic syndrome is associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of factors that increase a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and other metabolic-related diseases.

Using the SEER-Medicare Linked Database, the researchers reviewed information from 16,323 women ages 65 years and older with endometrial cancer diagnosed between 1993 and 2007, along with 100,751 women who did not have the disease.

A diagnosis of metabolic syndrome was determined using criteria set by either the US National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) or the International Diabetes Foundation.

The researchers found women with metabolic syndrome as determined by the ATP III criteria were 39% more likely to develop endometrial cancer, and those with metabolic syndrome as determined by International Diabetes Foundation criteria were 109% more likely to develop endometrial cancer. After accounting for overweight or obesity among the women, the risk of developing endometrial cancer were 21% higher and 17% higher, respectively.

In addition, excessive weight, hypertension, high triglycerides, and impaired fasting glucose—all factors in metabolic syndrome—increased women’s risk of developing endometrial cancer individually.