JAMA NetworkResidual Risk of Breast Cancer After Bariatric Surgery

Women who are overweight have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. It is unknown whether prior obesity still carries a higher baseline risk of breast cancer in women who have shed a significant amount of weight as compared to peers without obesity. Researchers assembled a retrospective matched cohort study of 69,260 women who were followed up for 5 years after bariatric surgery or the index date (1/1/2010 – 12/31/2016) to see whether there is a residual risk of breast cancer among patients who undergo bariatric surgery due to prior obesity. According to the findings, bariatric surgery was linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in women with prior obesity that was equivalent to a woman with a BMI under 25, as well as a lower risk when compared to all groups with a BMI of 25 or higher.