People who undergo bariatric surgery face a "distinct" reduction in risk of developing malignant melanoma, according to a new study.
The Swedish researchers say the finding is a key piece of evidence backing the theory that weight loss can reduce risk of this cancer.
It showed a reduction in cancer risk of about half.
The study reported in JAMA Dermatology, compared 2,000 surgery patients with another 2,000 people with severe obesity but not receiving surgery over a median period of 18 years.
23 of those who received surgery developed malignant skin cancer, including 12 with melanoma, compared with 45 of those who did not and these included 29 with melanoma.
Researcher Magdalena Taube, of Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said: “This provides further evidence for a connection between obesity and malignant skin cancer, and for the view that we should regard obesity as a risk factor for these forms of cancer.
“In these contexts, it’s a clear and striking change. And that’s why it’s so interesting.”
Association of Bariatric Surgery With Skin Cancer Incidence in Adults With Obesity: A Nonrandomized Controlled Trial. JAMA Dermatology 30 October 2019
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2753269
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