Obesity and prostate cancer are two of the most common medical issues facing older men today. These health concerns are particularly prevalent among U.S. veterans.

That is why Dr. Jonathan L. Wright, a urologic oncologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, has teamed up with colleagues at Fred Hutch, UW and investigators at VA Puget Sound Health Care System to lead a study in overweight men with low-grade, slow-growing prostate cancer who have decided to take an “active-surveillance” approach to closely monitor their prostate cancer as opposed to treating it with surgery or radiation.

The Fred Hutch–based Prostate Cancer Active Lifestyle Study, or PALS for short, aims to determine whether weight loss achieved through a structured diet and exercise regimen will improve the short- and long-term health of men such as study participant Allan “Gene” Asay, a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran from Bellingham, Washington.

While his long-term outcome has yet to be revealed, Asay is delighted with his initial results since joining the study in May.

Read the full article about prostate cancer and weight loss by Kristen Woodward at Fred Hutch News Service.