Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33423670›Full record

ArticleBMC medicine2021

Associations of six adiposity-related markers with incidence and mortality from 24 cancers-findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study.

Solange Parra-Soto, Emma S Cowley, Leandro F M Rezende, Catterina Ferreccio, John C Mathers, Jill P Pell, Frederick K Ho, Carlos Celis-Morales

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
31citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

31 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Cancer risk and mortality assessment in the overweight population: evaluation of single and integrated models based on inflammatory markers.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
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  12. Association between different patterns of obesity and the short-term outcomes of gastric cancer surgery.European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Solange Parra-SotoInstitute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, UK.
Emma S CowleyInstitute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK.
Leandro F M RezendeDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Catterina FerreccioAdvanced Center for Chronic Diseases, Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
John C MathersHuman Nutrition Research Centre, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
Jill P PellInstitute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, UK.
Frederick K HoInstitute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, UK.
Carlos Celis-MoralesInstitute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8RZ, UK. Carlos.Celis@glasgow.ac.uk.
University of Glasgow · GBNewcastle University · GBUniversidade Federal de São Paulo · BRUniversity of Chile · CL

Funding

British Heart FoundationDepartment of Health [UK]Medical Research CouncilWellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdiposity is a strong risk factor for cancer incidence and mortality. However, most of the evidence available has focused on body mass index (BMI) as a marker of adiposity. There is limited evidence on relationships of cancer with other adiposity markers, and if these associations are linear or not. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of six adiposity markers with incidence and mortality from 24 cancers by accounting for potential non-linear associations.

methodsA total of 437,393 participants (53.8% women; mean age 56.3 years) from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study were included in this study. The median follow-up was 8.8 years (interquartile range 7.9 to 9.6) for mortality and 9.3 years (IQR 8.6 to 9.9) for cancer incidence. Adiposity-related exposures were BMI, body fat percentage, waist-hip ratio, waist-height ratio, and waist and hip circumference. Incidence and mortality of 24 cancers sites were the outcomes. Cox proportional hazard models were used with each of the exposure variables fitted separately on penalised cubic splines.

resultsDuring follow-up, 47,882 individuals developed cancer and 11,265 died due to cancer during the follow-up period. All adiposity markers had similar associations with overall cancer incidence. BMI was associated with a higher incidence of 10 cancers (stomach cardia (hazard ratio per 1 SD increment 1.35, (95% CI 1.23; 1.47)), gallbladder (1.33 (1.12; 1.58)), liver (1.27 (1.19; 1.36)), kidney (1.26 (1.20; 1.33)), pancreas (1.12 (1.06; 1.19)), bladder (1.09 (1.04; 1.14)), colorectal (1.10 (1.06; 1.13)), endometrial (1.73 (1.65; 1.82)), uterine (1.68 (1.60; 1.75)), and breast cancer (1.08 (1.05; 1.11))) and overall cancer (1.03 (1.02; 1.04)). All these associations were linear except for breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Similar results were observed when other markers of central and overall adiposity were used. For mortality, nine cancer sites were linearly associated with BMI and eight with waist circumference and body fat percentage.

conclusionAdiposity, regardless of the marker used, was associated with an increased risk in 10 cancer sites.

Indexed as

AdiposityAdultAgedBiomarkers, TumorBody Mass IndexCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasmsProportional Hazards ModelsProspective StudiesRisk FactorsUnited KingdomBiomarkers, TumorBody fatBody mass indexCancerObesityUK BiobankWaist circumference

Identifiers

PMID33423670
PMCPMC7798245
OpenAlexW3108891968

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.