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. 2024 Aug;13(16):e7400.
doi: 10.1002/cam4.7400.

Exploring the association between metabolic syndrome, its components and subsequent cancer incidence: A cohort study in Catalonia

Tomàs López-Jiménez  1   2   3 , Oleguer Plana-Ripoll  4   5 , Talita Duarte-Salles  1   2   6 , Martina Recalde  1   2   7 , Matthew Bennett  1   2 , Francesc Xavier-Cos  1   8   9 , Diana Puente  1   2
Affiliations

Exploring the association between metabolic syndrome, its components and subsequent cancer incidence: A cohort study in Catalonia

Tomàs López-Jiménez et al. Cancer Med. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MS) has emerged as a significant global health concern. The relationship between MS and the risk of cancer doesn't seem clear, whether examining by components or in combination. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between MS, its components, and the overall risk of cancer, including the risk of 13 specific cancer types.

Methods: We included 3,918,781 individuals aged 40 years or older sourced from the SIDIAP database between 2008 and 2017. Cox models were employed with MS components and their combinations. A subsample was created using a matched cohort (by age and sex). Incidence curves were computed to determine the time elapsed between the date of having 1-5 MS components and cancer incidence, compared to matched participants with no MS components, which showed that individuals who had one MS component experienced a greater incidence of cancer over 5 and 10 years than individuals with no MS, and the incidence rose with an increase in the number of MS components.

Results: Individuals exposed to MS components were diagnosed with cancer earlier than those who were not exposed to them. In the Cox model, HDL (HR 1.46, 95% CI: 1.41-1.52) and Glycemia (HR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.37-1.44) were the individual combinations with the highest risk of overall cancer. In combinations with two components, the highest HR was HDL+Glycemia (HR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.45-1.59) and Glycemia+HBP (HR 1.48, 95% CI: 1.45-1.50). In combinations with three components, the highest HR was HDL+Glycemia+HBP (HR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.55-1.62).

Conclusion: In summary, having one or more MS components raises the risk of developing at least 11 cancer types and these risk differ according to type of component included. Some sex differences are also observed. Our findings suggest that implementing prevention measures aimed at specific MS components may lower the risk of various cancer types.

Keywords: cancer risk factors; epidemiology; metabolic studies; registries.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Cumulative incidence function curves for incidence of overall cancer stratified by individuals with MS components, compared to individuals without, matched by age and sex. (The dashed lines represent the 95% CIs).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The combined effect of MS components on overall cancer incidence compared with individuals without any MS component. HRs arepresented by circles, with their 95% CIs as vertical lines; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval. Reference category is 0 components. Cox models adjusted by age, MEDEA Deprivation Index, smoking status and nationality.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
The combined effect of components of MS on overall cancer incidence. Stratified by sex.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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