Obese white women are less likely to be screened for breast and cervical cancer than women who maintain a healthy weight according to a review of cancer screening studies conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health.
Researchers reviewed 32 published studies on breast, cervical and colorectal cancers that were considered to have associations between obesity and screening tests. The review revealed that, as body mass increased, fewer women were getting the recommended Pap tests for cervical cancer and mammograms for breast cancer screening. The study showed this trend to be stronger among white women than black women.
This finding is particularly disturbing since the number of obese women is on the rise and these women are at greater risk for certain cancers, said Sarah S. Cohen, lead author of the article published by the American Cancer Society.
“Our review doesn’t tell us why larger women are not getting screened as frequently for these cancers,” Cohen said. “It only reveals the trend. We think this pattern should be studied more thoroughly. And in the meantime, some additional effort should be made to reach women at increased risk of cancer because of their body size and encourage them to get screenings that could save their lives.”

Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill