Beware, obesity can make breast cancer detection difficult

Just like other types of cancer, breast cancer must be detected as early as possible so that it can still be treated properly and cured. However, there are several things that can make breast cancer detection difficult. According to research, one of them is the condition of obesity, aka overweight.

What is meant by obesity?

Obesity or overweight is different from being overweight. Obesity means it is more serious than being overweight. This difference is measured by calculating the body mass index (BMI). You can check your BMI at bit.ly/indeksmassatubuh or in this link.

According to the Ministry of Health, people with a BMI value above 25 are included in the category of obesity. Therefore, people whose BMI is classified as obese or above 25 tend to be more at risk of various types of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Increased fat in the body is associated with increased inflammation in the body as well as increased production of the hormone estrogen. Increased inflammation in the body increases the risk of DNA damage which in turn leads to abnormal cell growth conditions, or cancer cells in the body.

Fat tissue or adipose tissue that accumulates a lot in the body will also produce too much estrogen. High levels of estrogen are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer.

In fact, obesity can complicate the detection of breast cancer

A number of studies have shown that obesity can inhibit breast cancer detection when patients are screened (examination). However, this does not mean that obesity reduces the accuracy of a screening tool or screening program.

According to research on the accuracy of mammographies of obese women in the United States (US), obese women are 20 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed when undergoing mammography than women of normal weight. Therefore, achieving ideal body weight is important to improve mammography screening performance.

A study at the Karolinska Institute involving 2012 women with breast cancer in 2001-2008 showed similar results. Obese women were found to be more likely to have detected tumors that were larger in size than women whose body mass index was classified as healthy.

So, it can be concluded that most obese women see their doctor late since the cancer first developed when compared to women of normal weight.

This is presumably because the breast size of obese women is larger, making it more complicated to detect the presence of tumors. It could also be because tumors in obese people are growing at a very fast rate.

Therefore, a research team from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the United States revealed that breast clinical trials alone are not sufficient to be used as an accurate benchmark for detecting breast cancer. This is because the high fat tissue can make cancer cell growth difficult to detect.

Obese women are screened for breast cancer less frequently

Obese women, according to a study involving 11,345 women by The National Cencus Bureau and a study involving 5,134 women in Denmark, were screened less frequently than people of normal weight.

As a result, obese women have a higher mortality rate in cervical and breast cancer cases. Obese women are less likely to have screening tests in their early stages and are easier to treat than people of normal weight.

This study is also in line with other studies that found obese women had higher mortality rates and were screened less frequently for breast cancer in this study.

Many factors make obese women less likely to be screened. For example, because of anxiety about their physical condition, embarrassment about their weight, lack of access to screening, worries about pain, and self-discomfort while doing screening.