Reduced risk of breast cancer after bariatric surgery

The study examined just over 2,800 obese women. Half of them had undergone bariatric surgery. They were compared with a control group who received standard obesity treatment at a health centre.

In the entire study group, about 150 women developed breast cancer. But the researchers' analysis showed that the group who underwent bariatric surgery was 32% less likely to develop cancer.

Additional analysis showed that women with high insulin levels at the start of the study had a 52% lower risk of developing breast cancer after bariatric surgery, compared to the control group.

– With the help of our results, we gain better knowledge about which individuals have the best effect from surgery and who may not have such a good effect, allowing more individual adaptation, so that the right patient receives the right treatment, says Filippi Christenson, a doctoral student at Sahlgrenska Academy. at the University of Gothenburg and a physician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Insulin may play a role

According to Felipe Christenson, the results also reflect the biological mechanisms behind cancer development, where insulin appears to play an important role.

– Conducting more research on such mechanisms opens the way for the development of new cancer treatments, says Felipe Christenson.

It has long been known that bariatric surgery is an effective method for effective and long-term weight loss. Surgery also provides long-term protection against diseases that can be linked to obesity, for example, various forms of cancer.

Scientific study:

Breast cancer risk after bariatric surgery and the effect of insulin levels, a nonrandomized controlled trial, Gamma surgery.