Liposuction is featured so prominently in popular culture that it has become a household name. In fact, this cosmetic procedure is the most common surgical enhancement performed in the United States.
But, is this medical procedure entirely cosmetic, or could there be other positive health outcomes associated with liposuction? Aside from the tangible benefits of a slimmer, more sculpted physique, could this surgery actually decrease the incidence of skin and other obesity-related cancers? Some scientists think it might.
Lowered Cancer Rates in Mice
The notion seems ludicrous at first read, but other equally surprising things, like drinking coffee, seem to lower non-melanoma rates, as well. Researchers at Rutgers recently published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that indicates that laboratory mice who consumed a high fat diet and received surgery to remove abdominal fat, the rodent equivalent of liposuction, had 75 to 80% fewer occurrences of UV-induced skin cancer than did their peers who received the same diet but did not undergo surgery.
Ultraviolet Light and Apoptosis
The study addresses the most common form of skin cancer, UV-induced non-melanoma. This cancer occurs when ultraviolet light, an invisible portion of the sun’s spectrum, filters through the ozone and produces mutations within the cellular DNA. The human body is equipped with a regulatory mechanism to handle these mutations.
This process, the apoptotic pathway, is an internal program that causes the cells to self-destruct if they are damaged or abnormal. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this current research is that not only did the mice who received abdominal fat removal have fewer incidents of cancer, but many of those UV-related non-melanomas that did develop had increased apoptotic activity.
The Future of Cancer Research
It isn’t clear at this point why the removal of abdominal fat decreases incidents of UV-caused skin cancers, or what the implications are for human subjects. It is clear that for the mice studied, the removal of the abdominal fat decreased not only the mouse’s occurrences of skin cancer but also the viability of the skin cancer itself.
This study poses further questions for research. Could liposuction actually inhibit skin cancer, and perhaps other obesity-linked cancers, and aid patients in living longer, more healthful lives? The researchers at Rutgers have called for epidemiological studies to evaluate the cancer rates amongst patients who have undergone liposuction.
It may be awhile before we know the extent of the link between liposuction and cancer in humans, but the implications of this study are exciting. Today we lift that cancer-protective cup of joe in salute to science as we look forward to the life-enhancing advancements to come in the fields of cancer research and liposuction.
If you are considering Liposuction in Perth, Dr Robert Goldman uses modern technology such as the Vaser Liposculpture System to perform liposuction on patients in Perth, Western Australia. Result focused Dr Robert Goldman is the only certified cosmetic surgeon in Australia to use the system.
