Research News

A Cleveland Clinic landmark study on obesity and cancer, led by Ali Aminian, MD, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric & Metabolic Institute, was recognized with a 2023 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Award by the Clinical Research Forum (CR Forum).

The Cleveland Clinic study, published in JAMA, was also honored as a Distinguished Clinical Research Awardee. The recognition marks the research as one of the top three studies among awardees. Dr. Aminian, lead author of the study, accepted the award Monday at a ceremony in Washington D.C.

The Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards honor groundbreaking achievements in clinical research from across the nation. The competition seeks to identify major advances in the biomedical field resulting from the nation’s investment in health and welfare. The Top 10 award recipients are selected by a CR Forum panel from among clinical research studies published in peer-reviewed journals in 2022. They are based on the degree of innovation and novelty involved in the advancement of science; contribution to the understanding of human disease and/or physiology; and potential impact upon the diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of disease.

The SPLENDID (Surgical Procedures and Long-term Effectiveness in Neoplastic Disease Incidence and Death) study showed that weight loss (achieved with bariatric surgery) was associated with a 32% lower risk of developing cancer and a 48% lower risk of dying from cancer compared with patients with obesity who did not undergo weight loss surgery. The study also showed that as weight loss increased, cancer risk reduced further.

Obesity is associated with a higher risk of developing at least 13 types of cancer. About 42% of American adults have obesity. The study has considerable implications for patient care and public health, as obesity rates are predicted to rise. Predictions show 1 out of 2 Americans will suffer from obesity by 2030.

The SPLENDID study is a cohort study of more than 30,000 Cleveland Clinic patients. Findings from the study were covered by national media including the TIME, New York Times, and Washington Post.

The research was nominated for the CR Forum Award by Stanton Gerson, MD, School of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Case Western Reserve University.  

“Given the growing worldwide epidemic of obesity, these findings have considerable public health implications indicating obesity is a ‘reversible’ risk factor for cancer,” says Dr. Gerson, who also directs the school’s National Center for Regenerative Medicine.  

“Current guidelines recommend lifestyle modification, but this study suggests that instead of focusing on lifestyle modification only, treating obesity with effective and long-lasting therapies may turn out to be the cornerstone of cancer prevention strategies in the future.” 

Cleveland Clinic’s Bariatric & Metabolic Institute reached a milestone in 2022 under Dr. Aminian’s leadership, with more than 1,000 bariatric surgery procedures in one year.

Dr. Aminian is also a board member for Cleveland Clinic’s new Center for Quantitative Metabolic Research (QMR), launched in January. The QMR connects clinicians and researchers across the organization to collect more data and develop new research approaches and treatment strategies on obesity and metabolic disease.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from the CR Forum,” says Dr. Aminian. “If we help our patients to lose large amount of weight, we can prevent health consequences of obesity including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.”