SynthesisBJS open2025
Upper gastrointestinal cancer risk following bariatric surgery: meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BJS open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundObesity is a growing global epidemic, contributing to heightened risks of multiple chronic diseases, including cancer. Evidence links obesity to several malignancies, including upper gastrointestinal cancers such as oesophageal, gastric, and liver. As the need for effective weight loss intensifies, bariatric surgery is increasingly performed, and procedures have evolved, with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy being the most commonly performed surgeries. Given the physiological changes after surgery, the authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the impact of bariatric surgery on upper gastrointestinal cancers.
methodsEligible studies investigating bariatric surgery and upper gastrointestinal cancer incidence were identified through MEDLINE, Embase, and citation tracking up to July 2025. Studies reporting on oesophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, gallbladder, biliary tract, or small intestinal cancer were included. Random-effects models were used to estimate pooled relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals.
resultsAcross 20 included studies, including 1,173,113 patients undergoing bariatric surgery and 4,600,719 patients not undergoing surgery, bariatric surgery, compared with no surgery, was inversely associated with overall upper gastrointestinal cancer risk (RR 0.58, 95% confidence interval (c.i.) 0.48 to 0.71). Specifically, inverse associations were observed for oesophageal (RR 0.63, 95% c.i. 0.40 to 0.98), liver (RR 0.47, 95% c.i. 0.35 to 0.61), and gallbladder cancer (RR 0.33, 95% c.i. 0.17 to 0.65). No significant associations were found for gastric or pancreatic cancers. There were too few studies for biliary tract and small intestinal cancers to allow meta-analyses.
conclusionBariatric surgery appears to reduce the risk of oesophageal, liver, and gallbladder cancers, supporting a role in both weight management and cancer prevention. Standardization in reporting surgical procedures is needed to clarify effects by bariatric surgery type.
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