Adult height is not associated with the risk of stomach cancer in a meta-analysis

Background: Adult height has been suggested as a biomarker for a wide range of diseases. However, there are epidemiologic inconsistencies regarding the association between adult height and stomach cancer risk.

Methods: We retrieved PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane library databases to identify relevant studies assessing the relationship between height and risk of stomach cancer, published from inception to June 4, 2019. We pooled effect sizes for 5-cm height increments using a random-effect model and obtained the cumulative relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Additionally, we performed subgroup investigation with sensitivity analysis and tested for publication bias using the Begg rank correlation test.

Results: We analyzed 11 studies involving 137,451 cases. The summary of effect size (95% CI) of stomach cancer for a 5-cm-increase in adult height was 0.99 (0.95-1.02). A "leave-one-out" sensitivity analysis indicated that the heterogeneity decreased by a half and the result showed significance (RR, 0.972; 95% CI, 0.948-0.997). Subgroup analyses found no significant associations, with one exception. The exception also depended entirely on one study. We found no significant publication bias (P=0.276).

Conclusions: Height is not associated with increased stomach cancer risk. Epidemiologic studies of potential confounders are needed to clarify the association.