Abstract 1815: Self-reported and measured anthropometric data and risk of colorectal cancer in the EPIC-Norfolk study
Authors: Park Jin Young , Mitrou Panagiota N. , Luben Robert N. , Wareham Nicholas J. , Khaw Kay-Tee 
Published: February 2011

Epidemiological studies have reported inconsistent results for the association between body size and colorectal cancer risk. General obesity as reflected by body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) has been most frequently examined and more recently, body fat distribution, especially abdominal fatness as reflected by waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) has been investigated in relation to colorectal cancer risk. Discrepancies in the association between body size and colorectal cancer risk may possibly be related to the use of self-reported data for body size, particularly in earlier studies with large numbers of participants. We aimed study to examine the association between self-reported and directly measured anthropometric data including body weight, height, BMI, waist, hip, WHR, and chest circumference and risk of colorectal cancer in the EPIC-Norfolk study. Hazard Ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. A total of 20,608 participants with complete information of both self-reported and measured height and weight without any history of cancer were followed up an average of 11 years, during which 357 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified. Men with higher BMI tended to overreport height and chest circumference and underreport weight, waist, and hip circumference while women with higher BMI tended to overreport height and underreport weight, waist, hip, and chest circumference. Multivariable HRs among women in the highest to the lowest quintile showed that measured height (HR=1.96, 95% CI=1.19-3.24, P trend=0.01), measured BMI (HR=1.58, 95% CI=0.91-2.74, P trend=0.04), measured waist circumference (HR=1.67, 95% CI=0.97-2.88, P trend=0.009), and measured WHR (HR=2.02, 95% CI=1.14-3.58, P trend=0.002) were associated with increased colorectal cancer risk. No self-reported measures were significantly related to colorectal cancer risk in women apart from the self-reported BMI (HR=1.98, 95% CI=1.18-3.31, P trend=0.02). In men, on the other hand, no significantly increased colorectal cancer risk was observed with any of the anthropometric data investigated. Our study with both self-reported and measured anthropometric data showed that measured height, waist circumference, and WHR were strongly associated with colorectal cancer risk in women while any significant associations with those measures were attenuated when self-reported data were used. These findings suggest the association between colorectal cancer risk and body size was more apparent with directly measured than self-reported data.

Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1815.