Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35380020›Full record

ArticleJournal of breast cancer2022

The Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea With Breast Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Dominic Wei Ting Yap, Nicole Kye Wen Tan, Benjamin Kye Jyn Tan, Yao Hao Teo, Veronique Kiak Mien Tan, Anna See, Song Tar Toh

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of breast cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
6.1field-weighted citation impact, top 3% 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

22 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Awake speech recordings for machine learning diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea: a Bayesian meta-analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
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  8. Cancer and obstructive sleep apnea.Chinese medical journal · 2025
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  11. Sleep and Cancer.Cancers · 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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Dominic Wei Ting Yap *Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-6169
Nicole Kye Wen Tan *Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2597-9142
Benjamin Kye Jyn TanYong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9411-6164
Yao Hao TeoYong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0439-4097
Veronique Kiak Mien TanDepartment of Breast Surgery, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8493-8191
Anna SeeDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2126-4665
Song Tar TohYong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2077-2457
National University of Singapore · SGSingapore General Hospital · SG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeEmerging evidence from animal models suggests that intermittent hypoxia due to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for breast cancer. Despite their biological plausibility, human epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to delineate this relationship.

methodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases for eligible studies from inception until June 6, 2021. Two reviewers selected randomized trials or observational studies reporting the association between OSA and breast cancer incidence compared with those without OSA. Two reviewers extracted relevant data and assessed the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). We pooled the maximally covariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) using a random-effects inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis and performed pre-specified subgroup analyses.

resultsWe included six studies out of 1,707 records, comprising a combined cohort of 5,165,200 patients. All studies used the International Classification of Diseases codes to classify OSA and breast cancer. OSA patients had a 36% increased breast cancer risk (HR, 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.80; N = 6, I² = 96%) compared to those without OSA. Most studies adjusted for confounders, such as age, sex, obesity, diabetes mellitus, alcohol use, and hypertension. Subgroup analyses for studies with (1) multivariate adjustment and (2) at least five years of follow-up yielded HRs of 1.35 (95% CI, 0.98-1.87; N = 5, I² = 96%) and 1.57 (95% CI, 1.14-2.18; N = 4; I² = 90%), respectively. One Mendelian randomization study suggested a causal relationship, with a two-fold increase in the odds of breast cancer in patients with OSA.

conclusionThis meta-analysis suggested that OSA is a risk factor for breast cancer. Future studies should explore the dose-response relationship between OSA and breast cancer, and whether treatment may mitigate breast cancer risk or progression.

Indexed as

Breast NeoplasmsHypoxiaIncidenceMortalitySleep Apnea, Obstructive

Identifiers

PMID35380020
PMCPMC9250875
OpenAlexW4221039444

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.