Being overweight or obese is known to increase risk of cancer. Previously, the increased risk might have been from two to eight percent. However, scientists at the German Cancer Research Center say that risk may be significantly underestimated. They note that the traditional way of estimating cancer risk, BMI (calculated by weight and height) does not distinguish between muscle and fat, nor does it account for abdominal fat. Another observation is that cancer often leads to unintentional weight loss before diagnosis. As a result, the German study suggests cancer risk related to obesity could be ten percent or higher. The article in the journal Cancer Communication suggests that risk of cancer related to obesity is, in many cases, preventable by treating obesity.