Table 3.
Summary of the observational epidemiologic evidence on the association between obesity and cancer risk by cancer site. Summary evidence was acquired from Lauby‐Secretan et al. [19].
| Cancer site | Overall classification of evidence | Magnitude of relative risk increase for BMI ≥ 25 versus BMI < 25 | Evidence for dose–response effect | Biologic plausibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorectal | Strong | 10–30% | Yes | Yes |
| Gastric cardia | Strong | 20–80% | Yes | Yes |
| Esophagus | Strong | 15–480% | Yes | Yes |
| Liver | Strong | 50–80% | Yes | Yes |
| Postmenopausal breast | Strong | 10–12% | Yes | Yes |
| Gallbladder | Strong | 20–60% | Yes | Yes |
| Endometrial | Strong | 50–710% | Yes | Yes |
| Renal/kidney | Strong | 30–80% | Yes | Yes |
| Meningioma | Strong/Moderate | 40–213% | Limited | Limited |
| Pancreatic | Strong | 20–50% | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple myeloma | Strong/Moderate | 15–52% | Limited | Limited |
| Ovarian | Moderate | 10–20% | Yes | Yes |
| Thyroid | Moderate | 4–17% | Yes | Yes |