Dr. Hudis on Combating Obesity in Breast Cancer

Clifford A. Hudis, MD, CEO, ASCO, discusses how oncologists should be helping patients with breast cancer overcome obesity.

The phenotype of patients is evolving and obesity is becoming a rising issue, Hudis explains. The change in body mass index can be associated with elevated risks for select malignancies and worse outcomes.

While it is important for oncologists to advise their patients to lose weight and increase exercise, doing so cannot be narrowly linked to improved outcomes for their cancers. Therefore, more studies should be conducted to examine this association in order to better educate their patients, Hudis adds.