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Taller People More Likely to Get

Cancer: Study
BY CONOR GAFFEY 10/4/15 AT 4:16 PM

A doctor examines mammograms, special types of X-rays of the breasts, which are used to detect tumors as part
of a regular cancer prevention medical check-up, at a clinic in Nice, France in January 2008. ERIC
GAILLARD/REUTERS

Taller people are more prone to developing cancer than shorter people,
according to the results of the largest-ever study into the association between
height and cancer risk.

Scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of


Stockholm analyzed data from 5.5 million people in Sweden across more
than 50 years. They found that, for every 10 centimeters (4 inches) of height,
the risk of developing any form of cancer increased by 18 percent in women
and 11 percent in men.
For certain cancers, the risk was particularly high. In the case of melanoma or
skin cancer, each additional 10 centimeters of height increased the risk of
developing the disease by 30 percent. Taller women also had a 20 percent
higher risk of developing breast cancer.
A preliminary report on the study was presented at the European Society for
Paediatric Endocrinology conference that was held last week in Barcelona.
Emelie Benyi, a Ph.D. student at the Karolinska Institutet who led the
research, warned against reading too much into the results in terms of
individual cancer risk. "As the cause of cancer is multifactorial, it is difficult
to predict what impact our results have on cancer risk at the individual level,"
said Benyi when presenting the research.
The researchers suggested that the association could be caused by taller
people having more cells in their body, which increases the chance that
mutations may occur. People with more cells also have greater exposure to
ultraviolet light from the sun, which is a known risk factor in developing skin
cancer. Dorothy Bennett, head of the molecular cell sciences research center
at St George's, University of London, told the BBC that it was "very
plausible" that the risk of cancer could be linked to the number of cells in a
person's body.
Another possible explanation is the increased presence of growth hormone in
taller people. Growth hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland in
the brain and helps maintain bone and muscle mass, has previously been
linked to an increased cancer risk. Mel Greaves, an expert at the Institute of
Cancer Research in London, pointed to previous research that found that
people with genetic dwarfism tend to have very low cancer rates. "People
with genetic dwarfism have a mutation in their growth hormone receptor and
we know that growth hormone and growth hormone receptor are critical to

tumor growth too," said Greaves in a statement. He added that experiments


with mice showed that cancer rates decreased as mice were genetically
engineered to produce less growth hormone.
The current study followed males and females born between 1938 and 1991,
with heights between 100 centimeters (3 feet, 3 inches) and 225 centimeters
(7 feet, 6 inches). A previous large-scale studypublished in medical
journalThe Lancet Oncology in 2011included almost 1.3 million women in
the U.K. and found that the risk of 10 cancers increased significantly with
increases in height. Women in the tallest groupabove 175 centimeters (5
feet, 9 inches)were 37 percent more likely to develop cancer compared to
those under 152 centimeters (5 feet).
Sara Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research U.K., said the
most recent Swedish study did not take into account other risk factors in
developing cancer, such as smoking and whether women went for breast
screenings. In a statement sent to Newsweek she says lifestyle choicessuch
as not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, exercising and taking precautions
when exposed to direct sunlightare important in combating the risk of
cancer in people of all heights.

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