MONDAY, March 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Taller people have a higher risk of colon cancer than shorter people, and researchers say height should be considered when it comes to screening for colon cancer. disease.

For the new study, the research team at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore analyzed data from 47 international studies that included more than 280,000 cases of colorectal cancer and more than 14,000 cases of precancerous colon polyps (adenomas). Data from a Johns Hopkins study of more than 1,400 adults who had colonoscopies were also included.

“The results suggest that, overall, taller individuals in the highest height percentile had a 24% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than shorter individuals in the lowest percentile,” said the co- study author, Dr. Gerard Mullin, associate professor of gastroenterology and hepatology.

Simply put, every 3.9 inch (10 centimeter) increase in height was associated with a 14% higher risk of colon cancer and a 6% higher likelihood of adenoma, the results show.

This means that men who are 6ft 1in and women who are 5ft 8in or taller have a 14% increased risk of colon cancer and a 6% increased risk of adenomas, according to the report published online. on March 1 in Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention.

In the United States, average heights are 5 feet 9 inches for men and 5 feet 4 inches for women.

“This is the largest study of its kind to date,” Mullin said in a Hopkins press release. “It is based on evidence that greater height is an overlooked risk factor and should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer. projections.”

Doctors are now focusing on genetic and age-related issues risks to recommend colon cancer screenings.

Mullins noted that the results don’t prove cause and effect, or that being taller is as strong a risk factor as age or genetics, but it does reinforce long-standing associations between being taller and the risk of colon cancer.

The researchers suggested that height could be as much a risk factor for colon cancer as lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption and a diet high in processed red meat.

Study co-author Dr. Elinor Zhou said that “one possible reason for this link is that adult height correlates with the size of body organs. More active proliferation in body organs taller people could increase the possibility of mutations leading to malignant transformation”.

Zhou, a gastroenterologist, said more research is needed to identify specific populations of tall people at risk for colon cancer.

“For example, tall athletes and people with inherited height, such as those with Marfan syndrome, could be screened earlier and the impact of height explored in more detail,” she said.

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

There’s more about colorectal cancer screening at US National Cancer Institute.

SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Medicine, press release, March 3, 2022