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Published on: March 20, 2017
Obesity surgery and malignancy: our experience after 1500 cases
Daniel J Gagné1, Pavlos K Papasavas, Majed Maalouf
1Department of Surgery, Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Temple University Medical School Clinical Campus, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15224, USA. dgagne@wpahs.org
Summary
Bariatric surgery is safe for patients with a history of cancer, potentially revealing malignancies. It does not negatively impact cancer treatment discovered post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Bariatric Surgery
- Medical Outcomes
Background:
- Obesity is a known risk factor for cancer development and mortality.
- Bariatric surgery is increasingly performed, necessitating evaluation of its safety in patients with prior or concurrent malignancies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the safety and outcomes of bariatric surgery in patients with a history of cancer.
- To determine if a history of malignancy contraindicates bariatric surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of prospectively collected data.
- Analysis of 1566 bariatric surgery patients from July 1999 to February 2008.
- Inclusion of patients with malignancy diagnosed before, during, or after bariatric surgery.
Main Results:
- 36 patients (2.3%) had a history of malignancy prior to bariatric surgery.
- 4 patients (0.26%) were diagnosed with malignancy during preoperative evaluation or intraoperatively.
- 16 patients (0.9%) were diagnosed with cancer postoperatively; 3 had a prior malignancy history.
Conclusions:
- A history of malignancy is not a contraindication for bariatric surgery if life expectancy is reasonable.
- Bariatric surgery screening may aid in malignancy detection.
- Bariatric surgery appears to have no adverse effect on the treatment of postoperatively discovered cancers.
