Does Bariatric Surgery Affect the Incidence of Endometrial Cancer Development? A Systematic Review

Abstract

Obesity has been linked to an increased prevalence in multiple cancers. Studies have suggested a reduction in the overall risk of cancer after bariatric surgery. We reviewed the evidence for bariatric surgery reducing the risk of endometrial cancer. Data was extracted from PubMed, EMBASE, and Medline to perform a systematic review. Thirty-one full text articles were identified from 265 abstracts. Nine observational studies were relevant to endometrial cancer. In the five controlled studies, 462 of 113,032 (0.4%) patients receiving bariatric surgery versus 11,997 of 848,864 (1.4%) controls developed endometrial cancer, odds ratio of 0.317 (95% CI 0.161 to 0.627) using random effects model (P < 0.001). Bariatric surgery seems to reduce the risk of endometrial cancer; however, more research is required.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Endometrial cancer; Endometrial hyperplasia; Obesity; Risk reduction; Systematic review; Weight loss.