Table 3.
Association between height and cancer risk, Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort (n = 65 038)*
| Cancer site | Cases, No. | HR (95% CI) per 5 inches of height† | P‡ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All shared-site cancers§,|| | 3466 | 1.15 (1.08 to 1.23) | <.001 |
| Gastrointestinal tract¶ | 940 | 1.10 (0.97 to 1.24) | .13 |
| Colon and rectum | 491 | 1.12 (0.94 to 1.32) | .20 |
| Pancreas | 164 | 1.42 (1.07 to 1.88) | .02 |
| Lung | 743 | 1.04 (0.90 to 1.19) | .62 |
| Urinary system# | 338 | 1.38 (1.14 to 1.68) | .001 |
| Kidney | 191 | 1.63 (1.27 to 2.10) | <.001 |
| Bladder | 123 | 1.01 (0.73 to 1.42) | .94 |
| Melanoma | 349 | 1.28 (1.05 to 1.55) | .01 |
| Thyroid | 95 | 1.07 (0.73 to 1.57) | .74 |
| Hematologic malignancies | 693 | 1.23 (1.07 to 1.41) | .004 |
| Myeloid neoplasms | 169 | 1.26 (0.95 to 1.67) | .12 |
| CLL/SLL | 112 | 1.09 (0.77 to 1.55) | .63 |
| B-cell neoplasms other than CLL/SLL or plasma cell disorders | 264 | 1.34 (1.07 to 1.68) | .01 |
* CI = confidence interval; CLL/SLL = chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia; HR = hazard ratio.
† Adjusted for age, sex, and race.
‡ Two-sided P values are provided for the associations between height (continuous, per 5 inch) for the association and cancer risk.
§ Includes cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, lung, urinary system, head and neck, connective tissue, brain, and endocrine system, as well as melanoma and hematologic malignancies.
|| Major categories (cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, lung, and urinary system; melanoma; and hematologic malignancies) do not add up to 3466 cases because of exclusion of cancer sites with less than 90 cases.
¶ Besides cancers of colon/rectum and pancreas, contains cancers of esophagus, stomach, liver, small intestines, anus and anal canal, gall bladder, biliary tract, and other or ill-defined digestive organs.
# Besides cancers of kidney and bladder, contains cancers of renal pelvis, ureter, and other/unspecified urinary organs.