TY - JOUR
T1 - Metabolic Surgery for Cancer Prevention
T2 - A Review of the Evidence
AU - Rodan, Wyatt
AU - Stroud, Andrea
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
PY - 2025/12
Y1 - 2025/12
N2 - Purpose of Review: Obesity has been linked to increased incidence of various cancers. Metabolic (bariatric) surgery has shown to provide durable weight loss in a carefully selected patient population and to ultimately decrease obesity related mortality. This study aimed to review the studies published over the last several decades characterizing the relationship between metabolic surgery and the development of cancer. Recent Findings: A literature review was conducted utilizing PubMed for articles addressing the incidence of cancer following metabolic surgery. Ultimately, we discuss the overall decreased incidence of cancer and cancer related mortality following metabolic surgery as well as the links between metabolic surgery and incidence of colorectal, hepaticopancreaticobiliary, breast, ovarian, uterine, endometrial, hematological and dermatological malignancies. Summary: Although the data largely supports a decreased incidence of each of these cancers, the data is not without limitations. The cancer protective effect of metabolic surgery is diminished or absent in male compared with female patients, and the physiologic mechanisms driving these relationships is only beginning to be characterized. Metabolic surgery may prove a powerful tool in the arsenal for cancer prevention with ever increasing rates of obesity, but further research is needed to understand mechanisms and quantify the benefits within specific populations and by cancer type.
AB - Purpose of Review: Obesity has been linked to increased incidence of various cancers. Metabolic (bariatric) surgery has shown to provide durable weight loss in a carefully selected patient population and to ultimately decrease obesity related mortality. This study aimed to review the studies published over the last several decades characterizing the relationship between metabolic surgery and the development of cancer. Recent Findings: A literature review was conducted utilizing PubMed for articles addressing the incidence of cancer following metabolic surgery. Ultimately, we discuss the overall decreased incidence of cancer and cancer related mortality following metabolic surgery as well as the links between metabolic surgery and incidence of colorectal, hepaticopancreaticobiliary, breast, ovarian, uterine, endometrial, hematological and dermatological malignancies. Summary: Although the data largely supports a decreased incidence of each of these cancers, the data is not without limitations. The cancer protective effect of metabolic surgery is diminished or absent in male compared with female patients, and the physiologic mechanisms driving these relationships is only beginning to be characterized. Metabolic surgery may prove a powerful tool in the arsenal for cancer prevention with ever increasing rates of obesity, but further research is needed to understand mechanisms and quantify the benefits within specific populations and by cancer type.
KW - Bariatric surgery
KW - Cancer
KW - Metabolic surgery
KW - Obesity
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85219577052
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85219577052#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1007/s40137-025-00448-w
DO - 10.1007/s40137-025-00448-w
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85219577052
SN - 2167-4817
VL - 13
JO - Current Surgery Reports
JF - Current Surgery Reports
IS - 1
M1 - 16
ER -