Can Bariatric Surgery Help to Reduce Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk?

Obesity is one of the fastest-growing health challenges globally. While its links to heart disease and diabetes are well known, obesity also increases the risk of several cancers -  particularly those affecting the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, such as oesophageal, liver, and gallbladder cancers. As bariatric (weight-loss) surgery becomes more widely offered to help people manage obesity, an important question arises: does bariatric surgery influence cancer risk? Our team, with funding from Cancer 91桃色 UK, set out to answer this with our new systematic review and meta-analysis. The study is now published in BJS.

Study Design

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand whether there is a link between bariatric surgery and GI cancer risk in obese patients. A meta-analysis combines together data and findings from lots of previous studies, allowing researchers to identify overall patterns and draw stronger conclusions than from a single study.

We reviewed over 4,600 publications, looking for papers that described upper GI cancer risk in patients who had undergone bariatric surgery. They were narrowed down to 20 eligible studies. Studies without a control group who did not have bariatric surgery, or those involving patients with a prior cancer diagnosis, were excluded.

The Findings

When comparing cancer risk in obese people who had bariatric surgery to those who did not, we saw a 42% reduction in the overall risk of upper GI cancer. Specifically, oesophageal, liver and gallbladder cancer risk were reduced by bariatric surgery:

  • Oesophageal cancer: 37% lower risk
  • Liver cancer: 53% lower risk
  • Gallbladder cancer: 67% lower risk

For other cancer types (gastric and pancreatic), the data were inconclusive, often due to wide confidence intervals. For biliary tract and small-intestinal cancers, there was not enough data to perform a meta-analysis.

Why This Matters

Our findings suggest that the benefits of bariatric surgery could extend beyond weight management to also play a role in cancer prevention. As obesity rates continue to climb globally, the burden of obesity-related cancers will also grow. Our work provides a stronger evidence base for understanding how surgical interventions can influence cancer risk, helping clinicians and doctors to make informed decisions about bariatric surgery and cancer risk.

 

Read the full paper here:

Authors: Heather Cooke, Dr Rhea Harewood, Dr Naveed Hossain, Dr Gwen Murphy, Prof Amanda J. Cross
Funded by: Cancer 91桃色 UK