WASHINGTON, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A new study of U.S. researchers found taller adults may be more likely than shorter ones to develop colorectal cancer or colon polyps that can later become malignant.
The study, published Wednesday in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests that, overall, the tallest individuals within the highest percentile of height had a 24 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than the shortest within the lowest percentile.
Every 10-centimeter increase in height was found to be associated with a 14 percent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and 6 percent increased odds of having adenomas, according to the study.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine studied data from 47 international, observational studies involving 280,660 cases of colorectal cancer and 14,139 cases of colorectal adenoma. They also included original data from the Johns Hopkins Colon Biofilm study, which recruited 1,459 adult patients undergoing outpatient colonoscopies to explore the relationship between cancer and bacteria stuck to the walls of the colon, known as biofilm.
"One possible reason for this link is that adult height correlates with body organ size. More active proliferation in organs of taller people could increase the possibility of mutations leading to malignant transformation," said Elinor Zhou, co-first author of the study.
"This is the largest study of its kind to date. It builds on evidence that taller height is an overlooked risk factor, and should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer screenings," said Gerard Mullin, associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Johns Hopkins Medicine. ■