Arnold M, et al. - Among Swedish women with breast and colorectal cancer, researchers assessed the prognosis in relation to overweight duration and intensity during adulthood. This study included 47,051 women from the Swedish Lifestyle and Health Study. Among participants, postmenopausal breast cancer was developed by 1,241 (mean age at diagnosis: 57.5 years) and colorectal cancer by 259 (mean age at diagnosis: 59.1 years). For every year lived with overweight, the risk of early mortality from breast cancer and from colorectal cancer increased by 3% and by 4%, respectively, compared with cancer patients who were never overweight (body mass index<25) during early adulthood (ages 20-50). In this population, a further increase in the mortality risk was caused by a higher intensity of overweight (ie, a combination of duration and degree of overweight - a concept comparable to pack-years of cigarette smoking). For women diagnosed with late-stage breast cancer, risks were slightly more pronounced, but no clear link was found for colorectal cancer. Overall, a long-lasting impact of adulthood overweight duration and intensity on breast and colorectal cancer survival was evident in this study.