title: Pooled cohort study on height and risk of cancer and cancer death.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between height and risk of cancer and cancer death.
  
  
  METHODS
  The metabolic syndrome and cancer project is a prospective pooled cohort study of 585,928 participants from seven cohorts in Austria, Norway, and Sweden. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer incidence and death were estimated in height categories and per 5-cm increment for each cancer site using Cox proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a mean follow-up of 12.7 years (SD = 7.2), 38,862 participants were diagnosed with cancer and 13,547 participants died of cancer. Increased height (per 5-cm increment) was associated with an increased overall cancer risk in women, HR 1.07 (95 % CI 1.06-1.09), and in men, HR 1.04 (95 % CI 1.03-1.06). The highest HR was seen for malignant melanoma in women, HR 1.17 (95 % CI 1.11-1.24), and in men HR 1.12 (95 % CI 1.08-1.19). Height was also associated with increased risk of cancer death in women, HR 1.03 (95 % CI 1.01-1.16), and in men, HR 1.03 (95 % CI 1.01-1.05). The highest HR was observed for breast cancer death in postmenopausal women (>60 years), HR 1.10 (95 % CI 1.00-1.21), and death from renal cell carcinoma in men, HR 1.18 (95 % CI 1.07-1.30). All these associations were independent of body mass index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Height was associated with risk of cancer and cancer death indicating that factors related to height such as hormonal and genetic factors stimulate both cancer development and progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden, sara.wiren@urologi.umu.se.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wirén
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Häggström
authors.forename: Hanno
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulmer
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Manjer
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bjørge
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nagel
authors.forename: Dorthe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johansen
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hallmans
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Engeland
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Concin
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.forename: Randi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Selmer
authors.forename: Steinar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tretli
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stocks
authors.forename: Pär
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stattin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria / Q000453:epidemiology; D001827:Body Height; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology