Obesity, acid reflux, smoking increase esophageal cancer risk

Obesity increases the risk of esophageal cancer, regardless of whether a person has other risk factors such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or smoking, according to a study in the November issue of Gut. Among 800 people with esophageal cancer who were compared to 1,600 people without the disease, obese people were six times more likely to have esophageal cancer than people who were not obese.

Esophageal cancer is known to be more common in people with GERD, but this is the first study to indicate that obesity alone could increase the risk. As expected, smokers in the study had a higher incidence of both GERD and esophageal cancer. The investigators recommend that obese people lose weight, and if they smoke, quit. Medications to reduce GERD symptoms also should be considered.