Overweight and obesity in long-term breast cancer survivors: how does sexual orientation impact BMI?
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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Integrating Augmented Reality Tools in Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema Prognostication and Diagnosis
Published on: February 6, 2020
Ulrike Boehmer1, Michelle Mertz, Alison Timm
1Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. boehmer@bu.edu
Abstract:
In noncancer populations lesbians have greater odds of obesity compared with heterosexual women, suggesting a similar pattern among cancer survivors. Weight of cancer survivors is an important area of study because obesity is associated with an increased risk of recurrence and shorter survival. Sixty-nine lesbian and bisexual and 257 heterosexual survivors of breast cancer were recruited to participate in a one-time telephone survey. Multinomial logit models do not support disparities in obesity due to sexual orientation. Our findings in breast cancer survivors suggest that lesbians are more likely to improve their weight-related behaviors after cancer than heterosexual women.
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