Several epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between adult height and cancer incidence. The only study conducted among women on mouth and pharynx cancer risk, however, reported an inverse association. This study aims to investigate the association between height and the risk of head and neck cancer (HNC) within a large international consortium of HNC. We analyzed pooled individual-level data from 24 case-control studies participating in the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated separately for men and women for associations between height and HNC risk. Educational level, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption were included in all regression models. Stratified analyses by HNC subsites were performed. This project included 17,666 cases and 28,198 controls. We found an inverse association between height and HNC (adjusted OR per 10 cm height = 0.91, 95% CI 0.86-0.95 for men; adjusted OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.79-0.93 for women). In men, the estimated OR did vary by educational level, smoking status, geographic area, and control source. No differences by subsites were detected. Adult height is inversely associated with HNC risk. As height can be considered a marker of childhood illness and low energy intake, the inverse association is consistent with prior studies showing that HNC occur more frequently among deprived individuals. Further studies designed to elucidate the mechanism of such association would be warranted.

中文翻译：

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成人身高与头颈癌：INHANCE 联盟内的汇总分析。

多项流行病学研究表明，成人身高与癌症发病率呈正相关。然而，在女性中进行的唯一一项关于口腔癌和咽癌风险的研究报告了负相关。本研究旨在调查一个大型国际头颈癌联盟内身高与头颈癌 (HNC) 风险之间的关联。我们分析了参加国际头颈癌流行病学联盟的 24 项病例对照研究的个人水平汇总数据。对于身高与 HNC 风险之间的关联，分别估计了男性和女性的优势比 (OR) 和 95% 置信区间 (CI)。教育水平、吸烟和饮酒都包括在所有回归模型中。进行了 HNC 子站点的分层分析。该项目包括 17、666 个病例和 28,198 个对照。我们发现身高与 HNC 之间呈负相关（男性每 10 厘米高度调整后 OR = 0.91，95% CI 0.86-0.95；女性调整后 OR = 0.86，95% CI 0.79-0.93）。在男性中，估计的 OR 确实因教育水平、吸烟状况、地理区域和控制来源而异。未检测到子位点的差异。成人身高与 HNC 风险呈负相关。由于身高可以被认为是儿童疾病和低能量摄入的标志，这种反向关联与先前的研究一致，表明 HNC 在贫困人群中发生得更频繁。旨在阐明这种关联机制的进一步研究是有必要的。95% CI 0.79-0.93（女性）。在男性中，估计的 OR 确实因教育水平、吸烟状况、地理区域和控制来源而异。未检测到子位点的差异。成人身高与 HNC 风险呈负相关。由于身高可以被认为是儿童疾病和低能量摄入的标志，这种反向关联与先前的研究一致，表明 HNC 在贫困人群中发生得更频繁。旨在阐明这种关联机制的进一步研究是有必要的。95% CI 0.79-0.93（女性）。在男性中，估计的 OR 确实因教育水平、吸烟状况、地理区域和控制来源而异。未检测到子位点的差异。成人身高与 HNC 风险呈负相关。由于身高可以被认为是儿童疾病和低能量摄入的标志，这种反向关联与先前的研究一致，表明 HNC 在贫困人群中发生得更频繁。旨在阐明这种关联机制的进一步研究是有必要的。这种反向关联与先前的研究一致，表明 HNC 在贫困人群中更频繁地发生。旨在阐明这种关联机制的进一步研究是有必要的。这种反向关联与先前的研究一致，表明 HNC 在贫困人群中更频繁地发生。旨在阐明这种关联机制的进一步研究是有必要的。