Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41237309›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2025

Investigating the association between anthropometry and colorectal cancer survival: a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

Afroditi Kanellopoulou, Emmanouil Bouras, Andrew T Chan, Loïc Le Marchand, Alicja Wolk, Anna H Wu, Marc J Gunter, Katharina Nimptsch, Philip Haycock, Sarah J Lewis and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

16 authors.

Afroditi KanellopoulouDepartment of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.ORCID 0000-0003-2448-3548
Emmanouil BourasDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Andrew T ChanDivision of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Loïc Le MarchandPopulation Sciences in the Pacific Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States.
Alicja WolkInstitute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0001-7387-6845
Anna H WuDepartment of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Marc J GunterDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Katharina NimptschMolecular Epidemiology Research Group, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany.
Philip HaycockMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-5001-3350
Sarah J LewisMRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-4311-6890
Richard M MartinDepartment of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Verena ZuberDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-9827-1877
Amanda I PhippsPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States.
Ulrike PetersPublic Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5666-9318
Fränzel J B Van DuijnhovenDivision of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Konstantinos K TsilidisDepartment of Hygiene and Epidemiology, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.

Funding

Cancer Research UK programme grant, the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme C18281/A29019Cancer Research UK programme grant, the Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme NIHR202411NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundObservational epidemiologic studies on the association of anthropometric traits and colorectal cancer (CRC) survival provide inconsistent results, and potential limitations prohibit the investigation of causality. We examined the associations between seven genetically predicted anthropometric traits [height, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip circumference ratio, birth weight and body fat percentage] and CRC-specific mortality among CRC cases using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR).

methodsAnalyses were performed using 16 964 CRC cases, out of which 4010 died due to their disease, from the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium and Colon Cancer Family Registry. We further conducted stratified analyses by anatomical site and stage. We applied the inverse variance weighted approach, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of potential violations of MR assumptions and adjust for collider bias.

resultsOne standard deviation (SD 13.4 cm) higher genetically predicted levels of WC were associated with worse CRC survival [hazard ratio (HR); 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.02-1.47]. Positive associations were further observed for a SD higher genetically predicted BMI (SD; 4.8 kg/m2, HR; 1.5, 95% CI; 1.15-1.95) and HC (SD; 9.2 cm, HR; 1.32, 95% CI; 1.02-1.73) and CRC-specific mortality in cases of stages II/III. The latter associations were generally robust to sensitivity analyses. Positive but imprecisely estimated associations were found for most other anthropometric traits.

conclusionsDespite the limitations of cancer survival research, our findings support that CRC cases should avoid obesity. Further research should inform the development of recommendations targeting overweight/obesity management during cancer surveillance.

Indexed as

AnthropometryColorectal NeoplasmsAgedBirth WeightBody HeightBody Mass IndexFemaleHumansMaleMendelian Randomization AnalysisMiddle AgedProportional Hazards ModelsWaist CircumferenceWaist-Hip Ratiobirth weightbody fat percentagebody mass indexcolorectal cancerheighthip circumferenceMendelian randomizationsurvivalwaist circumferencewaist–hip circumference ratio

Identifiers

PMID41237309
PMCPMC12617741

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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.