Cancer attributable to excess body weight in Korea: a focus on primary prevention

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing rapidly around the world. The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research has reported that obesity raises the risk of several cancers, including esophageal, pancreatic, liver, colorectal, and breast cancers. Consequently, maintaining a healthy body weight is recommended for cancer prevention. In this article, the concept of the population attributable fraction (PAF) of cancer due to excess body weight is introduced, along with the methods for estimating the PAF, and the resulting values are compared across different countries.Current Concepts: The PAF quantifies the extent to which obesity contributes to the development of each cancer type. A recent study estimated that in 2015 the PAF for cancer due to obesity was 2.40% for men and 3.29% for women. Because the calculation relies on obesity prevalence data from over 10 years earlier, current obesity rates will influence future PAF values. As obesity has increased significantly in Korea, the burden of obesity-related cancers is expected to rise. Although Korea’s PAF is lower than that reported in Western countries, it is higher than that in other Asian nations.Discussion and Conclusion: With the growing prevalence of obesity, the incidence of obesity-related cancers is projected to increase. Effective obesity management is therefore essential for cancer prevention.