Abstract
BackgroundThe association between obesity and lung cancer (LC) remains poorly understood. However, other indices of obesity on the basis of body shape instead of body size have not been examined yet. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between different indices of body size and body shape and the risk of LC. In particular, this study examined the association between A Body Shape Index, a more precise indicator of abdominal fat than traditional anthropometric measures, and the risk of LC.MethodsIn the prospective cohort the Rotterdam Study, we analysed data of 9,689 participants. LC diagnoses were based on medical records and anthropometric measurements were assessed at baseline. Cox-regression analyses with corresponding Hazard Ratios were used to examine the association between the anthropometric measurements and the risk of LC with adjustment for potential confounders. Potential non-linear associations were explored with cubic splines using the Likelihood ratio (LR) test.ResultsDuring follow-up, 319 participants developed LC. Body mass Index (BMI) was inversely associated with the risk of lung cancer (HR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91–0.97) and persisted after excluding lung cancer cases during the first 10 years of follow-up. There was evidence for a non-linear association between BMI and the risk of lung cancer (0,04, df = 1), which indicated that the inverse association between BMI and lung cancer was mainly present in non-obese participants. Waist circumference (WC) (HR 1.03 95% CI: 1.01–1.05), Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) (HR 1.23 95% CI: 1.09–1.38) and ABSI (A Body Shape Index) (HR 1.17 95% CI: 1.05–1.30) were positively and linearly associated with the risk of lung cancer.ConclusionsBody shape rather than body size may be an important risk indicator of LC. Future research should focus on the role of visceral fat and the risk of LC as well as the underlying mechanisms.
Highlights
Lung cancer is currently the main cause of cancer mortality worldwide [1]
We found evidence regarding a non-linear association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the risk of lung cancer, which indicated that the inverse association between BMI and lung cancer risk was only present in non-obese participants, whereas an increase in Waist circumference (WC), Waistto-Hip Ratio (WHR), and, A Body Shape Index (ABSI) showed a linearly higher risk of lung cancer
We found evidence for a non-linear association between BMI and the risk of lung cancer suggesting that the inverse association only applies for participants without obesity
Summary
Lung cancer is currently the main cause of cancer mortality worldwide [1]. In 2018, the number of incident lung cancer cases was approximately 2.9 million worldwide, accompanied by 1.75 million cases of death by lung cancer [2, 3]. Several meta-analyses have shown an inverse association between BMI and the risk of lung cancer [6,7,8,9]. Multiple studies that assessed the role of residual confounding by restricting the association between BMI and the risk of lung cancer to never smokers were not able to fully explain the inverse association between BMI and lung cancer [9,10,11,12,13]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between different indices of body size and body shape and the risk of LC. This study examined the association between A Body Shape Index, a more precise indicator of abdominal fat than traditional anthropometric measures, and the risk of LC
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
