Metabolic syndrome increases risk of cancer, including kidney cancer

Persistent and worsening metabolic syndrome scores are associated with an increased occurrence of cancer, including kidney cancer, according to data published in the journal Cancer.¹

Overall, data showed that having an elevated-increasing metabolic score trajectory was associated with an increased risk of cancer overall and kidney cancer compared to those with a low-stable trajectory.

Metabolic syndrome includes conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, all of which co-occur and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, according to the authors. The investigators aimed to examine the association between metabolic syndrome score trajectories over time and cancer risk.

In total, the study included 44,115 adults across 11 hospitals in China. Among all participants, 78.9% were men and 21.1% were women. The mean age of participants was 49 years (range, 18-96). Those included in the study were placed into 1 of 4 trajectory patterns based on trends from 2006 to 2010: low-stable metabolic scores (n = 4657; 10.56%), moderate-low metabolic scores (n = 18,018; 40.84%), moderate-high metabolic scores (n = 18,288; 41.46%), and elevated-increasing metabolic scores (n = 3152; 7.14%).

With a median of 9.4-year follow-up, 2271 cancer diagnoses were recorded among all participants included in the study.

Overall, data showed that having an elevated-increasing trajectory was associated with an increased risk of cancer overall (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.04-1.55) and kidney cancer (HR, 4.52; 95% CI, 1.17-10.48) compared with the low-stable trajectory pattern. Specifically, data showed that patients with an elevated-increasing trajectory pattern had a 1.3-fold increased risk of developing any cancer, and a 4.5-fold increased risk of developing kidney cancer compared with patients in the low-stable trajectory pattern.

Patients in the elevated-increasing trajectory also demonstrated increased risks of breast, endometrial, colorectal, and liver cancer. Those in the elevated-increasing trajectory continued to demonstrate a higher risk of developing all cancer types even when the low-stable, moderate-low, and moderate-high trajectory patterns groups were combined.

The investigators also conducted a subgroup analysis in which they stratified patients according to their C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (<3 mg/L vs ≥3 mg/L). Patients with an elevated-increasing trajectory pattern and concurrent chronic inflammation (CRP, ≥3 mg/L) had a significantly higher association with breast, endometrial, colorectal, and liver cancers, whereas the risk of kidney cancer was higher among those with the elevated-increasing trajectory pattern but without chronic inflammation (CRP, <3 mg/L).

Senior author Han-Ping Shi, MD, PhD, of Capital Medical University in Beijing, concluded in a news release on the findings,² “This research suggests that proactive and continuous management of metabolic syndrome may serve as an essential strategy in preventing cancer. Our study can guide future research into the biological mechanisms linking metabolic syndrome to cancer, potentially resulting in targeted treatments or preventive strategies. Formal evaluation of these interventions will be needed to determine if they are able to modulate cancer risk.”

References

1. Deng L, Liu T, Liu CA, et al. The association of metabolic syndrome scores trajectory patterns with risk of all cancer types. Cancer. 2024. doi:10.1002/cncr.35235

2. Does worsening metabolic syndrome increase the risk of developing cancer? News release. March 11, 2024. Accessed March 13, 2024. https://newsroom.wiley.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2024/Does-worsening-metabolic-syndrome-increase-the-risk-of-developing-cancer/default.aspx