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Body size and composition and risk of rectal cancer (Australia)

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Abstract

Background

Although body mass index has been shown to be associated with colon cancer, studies of rectal cancer risk have generally reported no association. The relationship between rectal cancer risk and central adiposity, overall fat mass, and fat-free mass is unknown.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study of people aged 27–75 years, body measurements were taken directly; fat mass and fat-free mass being estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis and central adiposity by waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. Among 16,867 men and 24,247 women followed on average for 10.3 years, 229 rectal cancers were ascertained via the population cancer registry.

Results

When comparing the highest tertile with the lowest tertile, weight (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–2.0), waist circumference (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–1.9), fat mass (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–2.0) and percent fat (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–2.0) were positively associated with rectal cancer risk. There was no evidence that risk differed by sex for any of the anthropometric measures.

Conclusions

Waist circumference and fat mass may be weakly related to risk of rectal cancer.

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Acknowledgments

This study was made possible by the contribution of many people, including the original investigators and the diligent team who recruited the participants and who continue working on follow up. We would also like to express our gratitude to the many thousands of Melbourne residents who continue to participate in the study. Cohort recruitment was funded by VicHealth and The Cancer Council Victoria. This study was funded by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council (209057; 170215; 251533) and VicHealth (1998-0406) and was further supported by infrastructure provided by The Cancer Council Victoria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Epidemiology Centre, The Cancer Council Victoria, 1 Rathdowne Street, Melbourne, Carlton South, VIC, 3053, Australia

    Robert J. MacInnis, Dallas R. English & Graham G. Giles

  2. Centre for Molecular, Environmental, Genetic and Analytic Epidemiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Robert J. MacInnis, Dallas R. English, John L. Hopper, Dorota M. Gertig & Graham G. Giles

  3. Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

    Dallas R. English, Andrew M. Haydon & Graham G. Giles

Authors
  1. Robert J. MacInnis
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  2. Dallas R. English
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  3. Andrew M. Haydon
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  4. John L. Hopper
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  5. Dorota M. Gertig
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  6. Graham G. Giles
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Correspondence to Graham G. Giles.

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MacInnis, R.J., English, D.R., Haydon, A.M. et al. Body size and composition and risk of rectal cancer (Australia). Cancer Causes Control 17, 1291–1297 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-006-0074-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-006-0074-y

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