Body Mass Index a Focus of Emerging Urologic Research

Newswise — Obesity is a serious medical condition that has infiltrated society and discriminates against no one " including patients facing urologic cancers. The AUA will be hosting a briefing, Body Mass Index: Impact of Obesity on Urologic Cancers, that will openly discuss obesity and its associations with prostate and bladder cancers. The briefing will be moderated by AUA Secretary Carl A. Olsson, and will take place on Monday, May 23 at 1:00 p.m. Reporters unable to attend the briefing can view a webcast of the session on line at http://www.AUA2005.org by 9:00 p.m. that same evening.

Three abstracts will be highlighted during the briefing:

Body Mass Index and Outcomes in African-American and Caucasian Men Following Radical Prostatectomy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer: Stephen J. Freedland, M.D. and his associates studied 155 African American (AA) and Caucasian (CA) men who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) to evaluate the influence of race and body mass index (BMI) on pathologic outcome and disease progression after RRP. It was found that although AA men appeared to have worse outcomes, race did not appear to be predictive of biochemical recurrence. However, a higher occurrence of obesity in the general population of AA men may account for some of the observed differences between AA and CA men.

Stronger Association between Obesity and Biochemical Progression Following Radical Prostatectomy Over Time: Stephen J. Freedland, M.D. and his team analyzed 2832 men treated by radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) to evaluate the link between obesity and biochemical progression. Results illustrated a positive association between obesity and high-grade disease, yet the reason behind these findings remains unclear.

The Effect of Body Mass Index (BMI) on the Quality and Morbidity of Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer: Karim Touijer, M.D. and his associates studied 141 patients undergoing radical cystectomy to evaluate whether an association between obesity and survival outcomes in patients exists. Although an increased BMI was associated with a higher but acceptable surgical morbidity in overweight and obese patients undergoing radical cystectomy, the BMI did not affect the quality of surgery performed.

"These new trials illustrate how BMI numbers have ramifications beyond whether a person is medically obese or not, and extend into many urologic cancers," said Dr. Olsson. "These studies help illustrate how far the obesity epidemic permeates into other health care issues."

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association, Inc. is the pre-eminent professional organization for urologists, with more than 13,000 members throughout the world. An educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the AUA pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by carrying out a wide variety of programs members and their patients, including UrologyHealth.org, an award-winning on line patient education resource, and the American Urological Association Foundation, Inc., formerly AFUD.

For full copies of abstracts, vist http://www.aua2005.org or contact the Press Room.