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Geoffrey Kabat, the lead author on the study, is quoted as saying, "We were surprised at the number of cancer sites that were positively associated with height. In this data set, more cancers are associated with height than were associated with body mass index [BMI].” | Geoffrey Kabat, the lead author on the study, is quoted as saying, "We were surprised at the number of cancer sites that were positively associated with height. In this data set, more cancers are associated with height than were associated with body mass index [BMI].” | ||
The reason for the association is not clear. The NYT post presents several speculative ideas. | The reason for the association is not clear. The NYT post presents several speculative ideas. A larger body has a larger number of cells, which may represent more opportunities for cancerous cells to develop. Or perhaps the hormonal changes involved in normal growth can also stimulate malignancies. On the other hand, there are many known dietary and environmental factors linked to cancer. | ||
Revision as of 12:54, 15 October 2013
Cancer and height
Mike Olinick sent a link to the following:
- Cancer risk increases with height
- by Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times Well blog, 25 July 2013.
A recent study (abstract here) of postmenopausal women has found a positive association between women's height and the risk for a number of cancers. A news release from the American Association for Cancer Research summarizes the study as follows
Height was linked to cancers of the breast, colon, endometrium, kidney, ovary, rectum, and thyroid, as well as to multiple myeloma and melanoma, and these associations did not change even after adjusting for factors known to influence these cancers, in this study of 20,928 postmenopausal women, identified from a large cohort of 144,701 women recruited to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI).
Geoffrey Kabat, the lead author on the study, is quoted as saying, "We were surprised at the number of cancer sites that were positively associated with height. In this data set, more cancers are associated with height than were associated with body mass index [BMI].”
The reason for the association is not clear. The NYT post presents several speculative ideas. A larger body has a larger number of cells, which may represent more opportunities for cancerous cells to develop. Or perhaps the hormonal changes involved in normal growth can also stimulate malignancies. On the other hand, there are many known dietary and environmental factors linked to cancer.