I know I’ve read it before this, but here’s a new collation of data on the subject. It doesn’t talk about the mechanisms – that is, this report doesn’t though presumably it would be reasonably simple to drill down and find more information – but clearly, being fat increases cancer risk.

I’m fairly sure that a significant amount of overweightness increases one’s risk of various cancers. There’s been a few reports about it lately; it always makes me wince.

But – if most of the extra bulk is … well, surely a lot of the extra bulk is in fat stored in fat cells. It’s not extra fat cells, I don’t think. (People who’ve been liposuctioned and put weight back on put it back in odd places, because they’ve fewer fat cells and not in the old places, I think.) And the fat itself doesn’t get cancerous, surely?

I’m flailing in the dark, though. I’ll try to remember to ask my (nurse) mother on Sunday. It’ll confuse her …

Or, in general terms, whether bulkier people are more susceptible to all cancers because they’ve got billions more cells, hence more risk that any one of the little blighters might go crazy and mutate.

Hmm, a quick google quashes my thoughts on the first matter, which is good for the Sun really, and any top-heavy-totty fan (not to mention the women themselves).

However, I am yet to find any confirmation on the second point. Surely pure probability backs up the theory that by simply having more body, there’s a greater chance something can go wrong with it?

Also, on your point of having 1 in 9 models cover up to symbolise breast loss, it wouldn’t surprise me if around that number have had some kind of “breast re-fit” for professional purposes, so ironically are already somewhat representative of women that have undergone a mastectomy and subsequent reconstruction.

I suspect that any effective treatment for breast cancer would also work for most if not all other types; I suppose it could turn out to be specific to those which spread themselves through the lymphatic system. It’s reasonably probable (1 in 4 or 5) that I’ll get one of those at some point, so it’s in my interests to fund finding a cure. I guess it comes down to this: research will probably find a cure; the more money we chuck at it the faster; sorting one kind out will probably lead to sorting the rest out quite quickly; if you have to see posters for either breast cancer or, say, colon cancer which would you pick. I know which gets my vote.

About 1% of breast cancer diagnoses are in men, which implies that the odds are 1 in 900 or so. This is puts it below my estimate of the lifetime trouser limit.

On a serious note: breast cancer research is already pretty high-profile and fairly well-funded. I wish to high heaven some *other*, less-”cool” charities/medical conditions could get a bit more of a look-in.

Note to add, of course, that men can, and do, get breast cancer too. In tiny proportions, but none-the-less …