Gerard E Mullin, MD, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. In this video, he speaks about Study: Taller Adults May be at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer.
Â
Outline
Â
Origins:
Â
The impact of anthropometric factors on colorectal neoplasia biology remains unknown. A comprehensive review and meta-analysis were performed to assess whether adult-attained height is independently linked with the risk of colon cancer or adenoma. Methods: From inception through August 2020, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science for papers on the relationship between adult-attained height and colorectal cancer or adenoma. The original Johns Hopkins Colon Biofilm study data was also included. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the overall hazard ratio/odds ratio of colorectal cancer/adenoma with increased height. We included 47 observational studies with a total of 280,644 colorectal cancer cases and 14,139 colorectal adenoma cases. Thirty-three studies reported data on colorectal cancer incidence per 10-cm increase in height; 19 produced a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.14 (95 percent CI, 1.11 to 1.17, P0.001), and 14 produced an odds ratio (OR) of 1.09. (95 percent CI, 1.05 to 1.13, P<0.001). Twenty-six studies analyzed colorectal cancer incidence between the highest and lowest height percentiles; 19 found an HR of 1.24 (95 percent CI, 1.19 to 1.30, P0.001), and seven found an OR of 1.07 (95 percent CI, 0.92 to 1.25, P=0.39). Four studies published data on the incidence of colorectal adenoma per 10-cm increase in height, resulting in an overall OR of 1.06 (95 percent CI, 1.00 to 1.12, P=0.03). Conclusions: A higher adult achieved height is linked to an increased risk of colon cancer and adenoma. Height should be taken into account as a risk factor for colorectal cancer screening.