Lifetime Excess Weight, Adult Weight Gain Linked to Increased Renal Cancer Risk

MONDAY, March 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Lifetime excess weight and adult weight gain are associated with an increased risk for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), according to a study published online March 24 in Cancer.

Zhengyi Deng, Ph.D., M.B.B.S., from the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and colleagues examined data on lifetime body mass index (BMI) patterns and their associations with RCC. Data for 204,364 participants from the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study were used to assess BMI at ages 18 years, 25 years, 50 years, and baseline (mean age, 61.6 years); BMI trajectory across adulthood; exposure to excess weight (weighted years with overweight/obesity [WYO]); and change in BMI between specific ages.

The researchers found that with the exception of chromophobe RCC, higher BMI at all ages was associated with an increased risk for overall RCC and all subtypes (hazard ratio, 1.10 to 1.40 per 5-unit increase). Compared with maintaining normal BMI, similar patterns were seen for BMI trajectories indicating weight gain during adulthood to overweight/obesity. Increased risks for overall RCC, aggressive RCC, fatal RCC, and clear-cell RCC were seen in association with higher WYO (hazard ratios, 1.17, 1.21, 1.16, and 1.20, respectively, per standard deviation increase). A reduction of ≥10 percent in BMI after age 50 years was associated with a lower risk for RCC (hazard ratio, 0.72).

“These findings emphasize that maintaining a healthy weight across one”s lifetime is important for reducing RCC risk,” Deng said in a statement. “More importantly, weight loss, even later in life, may offer protective benefits.”

Two authors disclosed ties to industry.

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