Abstract
PurposeTo assess the association between height and risk of cancer and cancer death.MethodsThe metabolic syndrome and cancer project is a prospective pooled cohort study of 585,928 participants from seven cohorts in Austria, Norway, and Sweden. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer incidence and death were estimated in height categories and per 5-cm increment for each cancer site using Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsDuring a mean follow-up of 12.7 years (SD = 7.2), 38,862 participants were diagnosed with cancer and 13,547 participants died of cancer. Increased height (per 5-cm increment) was associated with an increased overall cancer risk in women, HR 1.07 (95 % CI 1.06–1.09), and in men, HR 1.04 (95 % CI 1.03–1.06). The highest HR was seen for malignant melanoma in women, HR 1.17 (95 % CI 1.11–1.24), and in men HR 1.12 (95 % CI 1.08–1.19). Height was also associated with increased risk of cancer death in women, HR 1.03 (95 % CI 1.01–1.16), and in men, HR 1.03 (95 % CI 1.01–1.05). The highest HR was observed for breast cancer death in postmenopausal women (>60 years), HR 1.10 (95 % CI 1.00–1.21), and death from renal cell carcinoma in men, HR 1.18 (95 % CI 1.07–1.30). All these associations were independent of body mass index.ConclusionHeight was associated with risk of cancer and cancer death indicating that factors related to height such as hormonal and genetic factors stimulate both cancer development and progression.
Highlights
Adult height, determined by genetics and by nutrition in childhood, has been associated with an increased risk of some cancers such as cancer of the prostate [1], breast [2], colorectum [3], ovary [4, 5], pancreas [6], kidney [7], testis [8], endometrium [9], malignant melanoma [2, 10, 11], and with lymphohematopoietic malignancies [12]
The highest Hazard ratios (HRs) was observed for breast cancer death in postmenopausal women ([60 years), HR 1.10, and death from renal cell carcinoma in men, HR 1.18
Height was associated with risk of cancer and cancer death indicating that factors related to height such as hormonal and genetic factors stimulate both cancer development and progression
Summary
Adult height, determined by genetics and by nutrition in childhood, has been associated with an increased risk of some cancers such as cancer of the prostate [1], breast [2], colorectum [3], ovary [4, 5], pancreas [6], kidney [7], testis [8], endometrium [9], malignant melanoma [2, 10, 11], and with lymphohematopoietic malignancies [12]. Height has been associated with an increased risk of cancer death in contrast to the decreased risk of total mortality and mortality from cardiovascular diseases [16, 17]. To the best of our knowledge, no large study to date has analyzed risk of cancer at all sites and cancer death in the same study. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to assess the association between height and risk of cancer and cancer death in a large prospective cohort in order to provide precise estimates for risk of incident cancer and cancer death overall and for specific cancer sites
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