The most commonly occurring cancer associated with being overweight or obese was endometrial cancer.
Forty-nine percent or 20,700 of the cases diagnosed every year are linked to excess body fat, researchers found.
The other cancers listed in the study with links to obesity or being overweight are esophageal, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, breast and colorectal cancers.
"We now know that carrying excess body fat plays a central role in many of the most common cancers," said Dr. Laurence Kolonel AICR/WCRF expert panel member in a written statement.
"And it's clearer than ever that obesity's impact is felt before, during and after cancer; it increases risk, makes treatment more difficult and shortens survival," Kolonel said.
Some experts say excess body fat increases the body's level of certain hormones that are linked to cancer growth.
