Metabolic syndrome linked to increased risk of endometrial cancer

According to a new study, women aged 65 and older who have metabolic syndrome may be at higher risk of developing all types of endometrial cancer.

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) – Medicare linked database, researchers from the National Cancer Institute identified 16,323 women who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer from 1993 to 2007. The controls were 100,751 women (5% of female Medicare enrollees) who lived in the same SEER registry areas. ICD-9-CM codes from diagnoses 1 to 3 years before case diagnosis and a comparable time period in controls were used to define metabolic syndrome. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and confidence intervals (CIs).

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The authors found that risk of endometrial cancer was associated with metabolic syndrome (OR [95% CI]: 1.39 [1.32–1.47]) and its component factors: overweight/obesity (1.95 [1.80–2.11]), impaired fasting glucose (1.36 [1.30–1.43]), high blood pressure (1.31 [1.25–1.36]), and high triglycerides (1.13 [1.08–1.18]).  Adjustment for overweight/obesity did not affect the risks. The heterogeneity of associations by subtype was not identified (P_{heterogeneity} = 0.82).

Given the association they found, the researchers recommended developing strategies to reduce the prevalence of metabolic syndrome factors, thereby positively impacting endometrial cancer prevalence.

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