Overweight, obesity and endometrial cancer risk: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Findings from recent studies suggest that obesity may be associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, but several earlier studies were less conclusive. Here we strive to estimate this relationship in a meta-analysis of published data. We searched Pubmed and Embase for studies on body mass index and the risk of endometrial cancer, published from 1989 to 2011. Data were independently extracted and analyzed using random or fixed effects meta-analysis depending on the degree of heterogeneity. Seven cohort studies and 11 case-control studies were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the conditions of excess body weight ([EBW] defined as body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m²), obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²) and overweight (25< BMI