Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #121570

April Snyder, BSc, Cristina Barr, BSc, and Nabih R. Asal, PhD, FACE. College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100182, Gainesville, FL 32610, (352) 273-5259, asnyder@phhp.ufl.edu

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer, with recent studies finding modest increases in risk among those with high relative weight. The present study used a case-control design to evaluate the role of obesity and diet on RCC risk.

Methods: Incident cases of RCC were identified from Florida hospital records, and population controls were identified from random-digit dialing and matched by age, sex and race to SEER data frequencies. In-person interviews were conducted among 76 cases and 135 controls, using a food questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All analyses were controlled for age, sex, race, and smoking.

Results: While high BMI (>30) did not significantly increase RCC risk, cases were 2.7 times more likely than controls to have greater than 40% body fat (CI: 1.2 – 6.0). Increased risks were found for those with weight of 175 pounds or greater at age 20 (OR 3.1, CI: 1.4 - 6.7) and those with maximum lifetime weight of 225 pounds or greater (OR 2.4, CI: 1.3 - 4.8). Consumption of non-fried fish at least once per week in the past year was found to be protective of RCC (OR 0.52, CI: 0.29 – 0.95).

Discussion: Data support findings of prior studies, but suggest that body fat composition may be a better indicator of increased RCC risk than obesity as measured by BMI. The mechanism of high absolute weight early in life on subsequent RCC risk deserves further study.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the role of obesity, body fat composition, and diet on the etiology of renal cell carcinoma.
• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of using body fat composition rather than relative weight (BMI) as an indicator of obesity.
• Develop an epidemiologic case-control study that incorporates dietary and anthropometric measures.

Keywords: Cancer, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.