Scientists from Harvard University have found that unexplained weight loss in middle age may be associated with various types of cancer. Research results published In the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Weight loss is a well-known symptom of cancer. A decrease in body weight can occur both as a result of decreased appetite and as a result of cachexia, a metabolic disorder that occurs in patients as a result of cancer and leads to depletion of the body. However, it is not known exactly how much weight a person must lose in a certain period of time for this process to be considered a sign of cancer.
A team from Harvard Medical School examined data from nursing records to see if there was a relationship between weight loss and the subsequent development of any type of cancer. A total of 157,474 people aged 40 and over participated in the research. Researchers recorded the participants’ height and weight, as well as their health status. The average follow-up period was 28 years. During this period, 15,809 cancer cases were detected.
Within a year of weight assessment, 15% of participants diagnosed with the disease lost more than 5% of their body weight, while the other 5% gained 10% less weight. The most frequently detected tumors among participants with recent weight loss were tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract, liver, biliary tract, and pancreas.
Scientists calculated that healthcare workers aged 40 and over who lost more than one percent of their body weight were 57 percent more likely to develop cancer a year later than those who maintained the same weight.
Researchers also found that many other types of cancer, including breast, urinary tract, brain and melanoma, were not associated with weight loss.
It was before named A virus that can cause blood cancer.