Older women who have been diagnosed with colon cancer and have an unhealthy weight may are at a higher mortality rate, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

The team of investigators based their current research on information collected during a 20-year study that monitored more than 1,000 female cancer patients. During that time, a total of 493 patients passed away, and nearly 300 of the causes of death were associated with colon cancer.

After analyzing the medical records, the researchers measured the body mass index (BMI) of those who were either over or underweight. As a result, those with high BMI measurements were 45 percent more likely to have a higher mortality rate, while underweight patients had an 89 percent higher mortality rate.

Anna E. Prizmean, co-author of the trial, stated that “maintaining a healthy body weight is beneficial for postmenopausal women, [and] for those diagnosed with colon cancer later in life.” She added that “it looks like abdominal obesity may be a useful indicator of higher colon cancer mortality.”

Of the 68,857 women who were diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, more than 26,000 died due to disease-related complications, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.