Pre-diagnostic obesity and pancreatic cancer survival
Principal Investigator
Name
Adetunji Toriola
Degrees
MD, PhD
Institution
Washington University School of Medicine
Position Title
Assistant Professor
Email
About this CDAS Project
Study
PLCO
(Learn more about this study)
Project ID
PLCO-34
Initial CDAS Request Approval
May 22, 2013
Title
Pre-diagnostic obesity and pancreatic cancer survival
Summary
With a 5-year survival rate of only 5%, understanding factors that can impact pancreatic cancer survival is of utmost priority. Although obesity is associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, its association with pancreatic cancer survival is not ascertained, as results from published studies have been conflicting. Nevertheless, most studies that have investigated the impact of obesity on pancreatic cancer survival were conducted in hospital-based settings and related obesity after cancer diagnosis to survival. Hence, there is paucity of information on the associations of obesity before cancer diagnosis and pancreatic cancer survival, thereby necessitating a need for prospective studies on pre-diagnostic obesity and pancreatic cancer survival. Likewise, there is controversy on the role of diabetes in pancreatic cancer survival, which might arise because most of the studies were not conducted in prospective population based studies. We hypothesize that elevated body mass index (BMI) before cancer diagnosis, history of diabetes, would be associated with worse pancreatic cancer survival.
Aims
1. To investigate the association of BMI before cancer diagnosis with pancreatic cancer survival.
2. To investigate the association of diabetes with pancreatic cancer survival.
3. We would also determine whether a history of diabetes modifies the association between BMI and pancreatic cancer survival
Collaborators
1. Graham Colditz, MD, DrPH. Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2. Rachael Stolzenberg-Solomon, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D. National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, Nutritional Epidemiology Branch