'Cancer risk higher in taller women'

Taller women are at a greater risk of developing some common types of cancer than shorter women, a new study suggests.


The study of 1.3 million women in the UK for almost 10 years showed that every 4-inch (10-cm) increase in women's height were associated with 16 percent more risk of developing 10 common types of cancer.

The findings also showed that women in the tallest group, over 5ft 9in (175 cm), were 37 percent more likely to develop a cancer than their peers in the shortest group, under 5ft (152 cm).

Researchers the University of Oxford looked at 97,000 women who developed 17 different common forms of cancer.

They found that the association between height and the disease was higher for cancer of colon, rectum, breast, endometrium (uterus), ovary and kidney as well as malignant melanoma lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia, says a report published in Lancet Oncology.

Previous findings have shown an association between cancer and height in men as well. However, the new research revealed that women's risk of developing certain forms of cancer is higher than previously thought.

Scientists are uncertain about the reasons behind the association between height and cancer risk but they suggest that the odds may be linked to some certain factor that should be studied in future researches.

"The similarity of the height-associated RR for different cancers and in different populations suggests that a basic common mechanism, possibly acting in early life, might be involved," the researchers said.

Among possible contributing factors are genetics, nutrition, and hormones such as insulin-like growth factors, they added.

"Another possibility is that height predicts cancer risk because taller people have more cells (including stem cells) and thus a greater opportunity for mutations leading to malignant transformation," the researchers explained.

Despite the study results, being tall is a sign of good luck in some other health issues, says lead author Jane Green.

"People cannot change their height. Being taller has been linked to a lower risk of other conditions, such as heart disease. The importance of our findings is that they may help us to understand how cancers develop," the scientists concluded.