Medical researchers at The University of Kentucky will be studying the link between obesity and cancer, thanks to an $11.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Mark Evers, Director of the Markey Cancer Center at UK says there are “great links now between obesity and various types of cancer so we see this as a real opportunity to focus efforts on better understanding factors that affect obesity related cancers and really hopefully to be able to attack those cancers via metabolic means.”
And while the number of confirmed cancer cases appear to be going up in the state, Dr. Evers says it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a significant spike in the disease. He believes the numbers are due in part to the fact that more Kentuckians are able to get treatment right here at home. And Dr. Evers says more patients are starting to come to UK for cancer treatment from all over the world.
The grant will fund UK’s Center for Cancer and Metabolism for the next five years, with research expected to continue well beyond that time frame.