Lower BMI Cutoff Tied to Endometrial Cancer in Chinese Women

WEDNESDAY, June 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m² is independently associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer among Chinese women presenting with postmenopausal bleeding, according to a study published online June 30 in Menopause.

Fangzhi Liu, M.B.Ch.B., from the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, and colleagues examined whether BMI of 25 kg/m² would delineate increased risk of endometrial cancer in a cohort of 4,164 women referred for postmenopausal bleeding. Participants had a medical history taken and underwent BMI measurement, transvaginal pelvic ultrasonography, and endometrial sampling.

Within the cohort, 20.8 and 38.7 percent were overweight (BMI, 23 to 24.9 kg/m²) and obese (BMI, ≥25 kg/m²), respectively, and 3.9 percent had endometrial cancer. The researchers observed an association for prevalence of endometrial cancer with BMI category. Compared with BMI <25 kg/m², BMI ≥25 kg/m² was independently associated with a 1.57-times increased risk of endometrial cancer in multivariable analysis.

“This study highlights the known relationship between BMI and endometrial cancer and suggests that the Asian BMI standard for obesity (≥25 kg/m²) helps to identify endometrial cancer in Asian women with postmenopausal bleeding,” Stephanie Faubion, M.D., medical director of the North American Menopause Society, said in a statement. “Key takeaways are that all women with postmenopausal bleeding should undergo evaluation, and obesity remains an important and modifiable risk factor for endometrial cancer, with a linear relationship between BMI and endometrial cancer risk.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)