Obesity Associated with Longer Survival for Men with Metastatic Melanoma

Source: Eurek Alert, February 2018

Obese patients with metastatic melanoma who are treated with targeted or immune therapies live significantly longer than those with a normal body mass index (BMI), investigators report in a study published in Lancet Oncology of 1,918 patients in six independent clinical cohorts.
This effect, referred to as the “Obesity Paradox", principally manifested itself in men, said Jennifer McQuade, M.D., lead author and instructor of Melanoma Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“Obese men consistently did much better than men with a normal BMI, with nearly a doubling of overall survival," McQuade said. The researchers found no significant differences in survival between women with normal, overweight or obese BMI.

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