Body mass index in young men and renal cell carcinoma

• Introduction: The incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), accounting for more than 90% of all renal malignances, has increased globally during recent decades. Obesity is a well-established risk factor for RCC, but earlier research has largely focused on adult exposure to risk. Little is known about the role of overweight and obesity during late adolescence.Objectives: Our objective was to test whether body mass index (BMI) during late adolescence is associated with subsequent risk of RCC.Methods: We used data from a cohort of 238 788 Swedish men who underwent mandatory military conscription assessment between 1969 and 1976 (at a mean age of 18.5 years). At the conscription assessment, physical and psychological tests were performed, including measurements of height and weight. Participants were followed for a diagnosis of RCC until 1 January 2010 through record linkage with the Swedish Cancer Registry. The association between BMI at conscription and subsequent RCC was evaluated using multivariate Cox regression analysis to estimate adjusted hazard ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals.Results: During follow-up over a mean of 35.4 years, 266 diagnoses of RCC were identified. We observed a higher RCC risk with increasing BMI in adolescence, where a one unit increase in BMI was associated with a 5% increased risk in RCC (95% CI 1.00–1.10,p<0.049). Compared with normal weight men (BMI 18.5 to<25 kg/m2), men with overweight (BMI 25 to<30 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI  30 kg/m2) had a 1.69 (95% CI 1.12–2.57) and 2.74 (95% CI 1.26–5.96) time higher risk of RCC, respectively.Conclusion: Data from this large population-based cohort study of men show an association between higher BMI in adolescence and a subsequently increased RCC risk, suggesting that overweight and obesity may already begin playing a role in RCC pathogenesis during adolescence. Prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity may thus be a target in efforts to decrease the burden of RCC in the adult population.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Urologi och njurmedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Urology and Nephrology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Epidemiology & evaluation/staging

kidney & bladder

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)