Association between obesity and the risk of malignant lymphoma in Japanese: a case–control study

✍ Scribed by Junya Kanda; Keitaro Matsuo; Takeshi Suzuki; Satoyo Hosono; Hidemi Ito; Tatsuo Ichinohe; Masao Seto; Yasuo Morishima; Kazuo Tajima; Hideo Tanaka

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 156 KB
• Volume: 126
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.24955

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Although marked differences in anthropometric characteristics and malignant lymphoma (ML) incidence suggest that the association between obesity and ML risk in Asian and non‐Asian populations may differ, few studies have investigated this association in Asian populations. Here, we conducted a sex‐ and age‐matched case–control study in a Japanese population using 782 cases and 3,910 noncancer controls in the hospital‐based Epidemiological Research Program at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for anthropometric characteristics were estimated using a conditional logistic regression model that incorporated smoking and alcohol intake. Recent body weight and body mass index (BMI) showed marginally significant association with ML risk (ORs [95% CIs] per 5‐unit increase in recent weight and BMI; 1.04 [0.99–1.09] and 1.11 [0.98–1.27], respectively). On the other hand, weight and BMI in early adulthood exhibited a strong association with ML risk (ORs [95% CIs] per 5‐unit increase in early adulthood weight and BMI; 1.11 [1.05–1.18] and 1.33 [1.13–1.55], respectively). Further, in women, a BMI of 25.0–29.9 kg/m^2^, defined as obesity in Asian populations, during early adulthood was significantly associated with ML risk compared to the normal range of 18.5–22.9 kg/m^2^. By histological ML subtype, the point estimates of ORs for obesity relative to normal weight in early adulthood were over unity for non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as a whole and significant for diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In conclusion, our study in Japanese subjects suggested that early adulthood obesity is associated with the risk of NHL, particularly DLBCL.