A new study has revealed that the activity of fat deep inside the body may play an important role in how aggressive endometrial cancer becomes.
This type of cancer starts in the lining of the uterus and is one of the most common cancers affecting women.
While it is well known that obesity increases the risk of endometrial cancer, researchers are now finding that it is not just the amount of fat in the body that matters, but also how active that fat is.
The fat discussed in this study is called visceral fat. This is the fat stored around the body’s internal organs, such as the liver, intestines, and kidneys. It is different from subcutaneous fat, which sits just under the skin.
Visceral fat is more harmful because it has a stronger effect on metabolism and inflammation. Scientists already know that this kind of fat can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. The new findings show that visceral fat may also influence how severe endometrial cancer becomes.
Researchers from Haukeland University Hospital and the University of Bergen in Norway studied 274 women who had endometrial cancer. They used PET/CT scans to measure how much glucose, or sugar, the visceral fat was using.
This glucose use shows how active the fat is metabolically. The higher the glucose uptake, the more active and potentially harmful the fat is. They then compared these measurements with how advanced the women’s cancer was.
The results were striking. Women who had higher levels of metabolic activity in their visceral fat were more likely to have advanced cancer and lymph node metastases, which means the cancer had already started to spread.
According to lead researcher Jostein Sæterstøl, this shows that the biological activity of visceral fat, rather than just its size, is strongly linked to how aggressive the disease is.
Interestingly, the study also found no strong link between the actual amount of visceral fat and its metabolic activity. This suggests that even women who do not have large amounts of belly fat could still be at risk if their visceral fat is highly active. This discovery challenges the old idea that only the amount of fat matters when it comes to cancer risk.
The researchers explained that there are several ways active visceral fat might make cancer worse. Chronic inflammation in the fat tissue can release molecules such as cytokines and fatty acids that help tumors grow and evade the immune system.
Inflammation can also lead to insulin resistance, which is another known risk factor for cancer progression. In addition, chemical messengers called adipokines and communication between fat tissue and tumor cells may further promote the spread of cancer, especially to the lymph nodes.
Although PET/CT scans to measure visceral fat activity are not yet standard practice, the team believes that improved imaging methods could one day help identify patients who are at higher risk.
New technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced imaging analysis, and standardized measurement techniques could make it easier for doctors to use this information to guide treatment and monitor how cancer progresses.
Future studies will look at better ways to measure visceral fat metabolism, including AI-based approaches and links to blood markers such as hormones and cytokines. The researchers also plan to investigate whether changes in visceral fat activity over time are linked to how cancer develops or responds to treatment.
This research highlights an important new way of thinking about endometrial cancer risk. It shows that fat around the organs is not just passive storage but may actively influence how aggressive a cancer becomes.
If future studies confirm these findings, doctors might be able to use visceral fat activity as a marker to predict which patients are more likely to have aggressive disease and tailor treatments accordingly.
Overall, the study suggests that paying closer attention to the activity of visceral fat, not just its amount, could open the door to better ways of predicting and managing endometrial cancer.
If you care about cancer, please see recent studies about new way to increase the longevity of cancer survivors, and results showing new way to supercharge cancer-fighting T cells.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing that vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
