Prospective cohort study of body height and cancer incidence among adult men and women in Shanghai / 肿瘤

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the association between body height and risk of cancer incidence among adult men and women in Shanghai. Methods: Baseline information on body height and other factors relevant for cancer was obtained from Women's (1996-2000) and Men's Health Studies (2002-2006) in Shanghai. Participants with missing data on body height, or those lost to follow-up in one year after the study enrollment were excluded, leaving 74 709 women and 61 161 men for analysis. There were 4 031 incident cancers for women and 2 047 for men confirmed at the end of 2009. COX regression model was used to evaluate the HR s ( hazard ratios) and 95% CI (confidence interval) between height and cancers. Results: After adjustment for some potential confounding factors including age, weight, physical activity, energy intake, occupation, income and reproductive factors (for women only), HR s and 95% CI s for cancer incidence per 1 standard deviation (6 cm for both men and women) increment in body height were 1.04 (95% CI 1.00-1.08) for total cancers, 1.18 (95% CI 1.05-1.33) for stomach cancer, 1.34 (95% CI 1.06-1.70) for kidney cancer and 1.05 (95% CI 0.99-1.12) for breast cancer in women; and 1.06 (95% CI 1.00-1.11) for total cancers, 1.11 (95% CI 1.00-1.25) for lung cancer, 1.34 (95% CI 1.02-1.75) for pancreatic cancer, 1.23 (95% CI 1.01-1.49) for rectal cancer and 0.78 (95% CI 0.66-0.94) for prostate cancer in men. Conclusion: A possible link between body height and cancer incidence in men and women is suggested. The association between body height and cancer incidence varies by cancer type. Copyright © 2012 by TUMOR.