Abbreviated score to assess adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations and risk of cancer in the UK Biobank

Malcomson, F. C., Parra-Soto, S., Ho, F., Celis-Morales, C. , Sharp, L. and Mathers, J. C. (2023) Abbreviated score to assess adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations and risk of cancer in the UK Biobank. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, (doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-0923) (PMID:37909916) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Background: The WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations are lifestyle-based guidelines which aim to reduce cancer risk. This study investigated, in the UK Biobank, associations between an abbreviated score to assess adherence to these Recommendations and the risk of all cancers combined and of 14 cancers for which there is strong evidence for links with diet, adiposity, and physical activity. Methods: We used data from 288,802 UK Biobank participants (mean age 56.2 years), cancer-free at baseline. An abbreviated version of the 2018 WCRF/AICR Score was calculated to assess adherence to five Recommendations on i) body weight, ii) physical activity, iii) fruits, vegetables and dietary fibre, iv) red and processed meat, and v) alcohol. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse associations between the abbreviated score (range 0-5 points) and cancer incidence, adjusting for confounders. Results: During a median follow-up of 8.2 years (IQR 7.4-8.9), 23,448 participants were diagnosed with cancer. The abbreviated score was inversely associated with risk of cancer overall (HR:0.93; 95% CI:0.92-0.95 per 1-point increment), and breast (HR:0.90; 95% CI:0.87–0.94), colorectal (HR:0.86; 95% CI: 0.83–0.90), lung (HR:0.89; 95% CI:0.84-0.94), kidney (HR:0.83; 95% CI:0.76-0.90), pancreatic (HR:0.86; 95% CI: 0.79-0.94), uterine (HR:0.79; 95% CI: 0.73-0.86), oesophageal (HR:0.82; 95% CI: 0.75-0.90), stomach (HR:0.89; 95% CI: 0.79-0.99), and liver (HR:0.80; 95% CI:0.72–0.90) cancers. Conclusions: Greater adherence to the Cancer Prevention Recommendations, assessed using an abbreviated score, was associated with reduced risk of all cancers combined and of nine site-specific cancers. Impact: Our findings support compliance to these Recommendations for cancer prevention.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by grant number IIG_FULL_2020_032 from the Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds (WKOF), as part of the World Cancer Research Fund International grant programme. SPS received financial support from the Chilean Government for their PhD (ANID-Becas Chile, project 72200012).
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Celis, Dr Carlos and Ho, Dr Frederick and Parra, Solange
• Authors: Malcomson, F. C., Parra-Soto, S., Ho, F., Celis-Morales, C., Sharp, L., and Mathers, J. C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
• Journal Name: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention
• Publisher: American Association for Cancer Research
• ISSN: 1055-9965
• ISSN (Online): 1538-7755
• Published Online: 01 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 by the American Association for Cancer Research
• First Published: First published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence