The risk of uterine malignancy is linearly associated with body mass index in a cohort of US women

In a population of women undergoing hysterectomy, we observed a linear increase in the frequency of uterine cancer associated with increasing BMI. This finding suggests that even relatively modest weight gain may significantly raise cancer risk. In the United States, the mean BMI for women is 26.5 kg/m2 and it is estimated that more than half of US women have a BMI within the study's range. Our results could, therefore, be relevant to a majority of the population. The findings could increase popular acceptance of weight management as a key component of general health maintenance and, possibly, as an additional approach to cancer risk reduction.