Lifestyle factors and colorectal cancer risk (2): a systematic review and meta-analysis of associations with leisure-time physical activity

D. J. (David) Harriss, G. (Greg) Atkinson, A. M. (Alan) Batterham, K. P. (Keith) George, N. T. (Tim) Cable, T. P. (Thomas) Reilly, N. J. (Najib) Haboubi, A. G. (Andrew) Renehan

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Objective: Increased physical activity may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. As a prerequisite to the determination of lifestyle attributable risks, the authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies to quantify gender-specific risk associated with increased leisure-time physical activity (LT-PA).
    Method: The authors searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (to December 2007), and other sources, selecting reports based on strict inclusion criteria. They used random-effects meta-analyses to estimate summary risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for uppermost vs lowermost categories of physical activity. To investigate dose–response, the authors explored risks ratios as a function of cumulative percentiles of physical activity distribution.
    Results: Fifteen datasets from 14 articles, including 7873 incident cases, were identified. For colon cancer, there were inverse associations with LT-PA for men (RR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67–0.96) and women (0.86; 0.76–0.98). LT-PA did not influence risk of rectal cancer. The dose–response analysis was consistent with linear pattern reductions in risk of colon cancer in both genders. There was evidence of moderate between-study heterogeneity but summary estimates were broadly consistent across potential confounding factors.
    Conclusion: Increased LT-PA is associated with a modest reduction in colon but not rectal cancer risk; a risk reduction, which previously may have been overstated. LT-PA only interventions in public health cancer prevention strategies are unlikely to impact substantially on colorectal cancer incidences.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalColorectal Disease
    Volume11
    Issue number7
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

    Bibliographical note

    Objective: Increased physical activity may decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. As a prerequisite to the determination of lifestyle attributable risks, the authors performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies to quantify gender-specific risk associated with increased leisure-time physical activity (LT-PA). Method: The authors searched MEDLINE and EMBASE (to December 2007), and other sources, selecting reports based on strict inclusion criteria. They used random-effects meta-analyses to estimate summary risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for uppermost vs lowermost categories of physical activity. To investigate dose–response, the authors explored risks ratios as a function of cumulative percentiles of physical activity distribution. Results: Fifteen datasets from 14 articles, including 7873 incident cases, were identified. For colon cancer, there were inverse associations with LT-PA for men (RR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67–0.96) and women (0.86; 0.76–0.98). LT-PA did not influence risk of rectal cancer. The dose–response analysis was consistent with linear pattern reductions in risk of colon cancer in both genders. There was evidence of moderate between-study heterogeneity but summary estimates were broadly consistent across potential confounding factors. Conclusion: Increased LT-PA is associated with a modest reduction in colon but not rectal cancer risk; a risk reduction, which previously may have been overstated. LT-PA only interventions in public health cancer prevention strategies are unlikely to impact substantially on colorectal cancer incidences.

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