Childhood obesity may increase bladder cancer risk

"These results suggest that the higher levels of overweight and obesity in children today may contribute to an increased burden of bladder cancer in future," said lead author Dr Kathrine K Sorensen from Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in Denmark.

"Our study contributes to the understanding of how body size early in life may indicate a risk for bladder cancer," Sorensen added.

The link between bladder cancer and lifestyle factors such as obesity is already established. However, little is known about whether this association has its origin in childhood.The findings were based on information relating to 315,763 children born between1930 and 1989, and aged from seven to 13.

This data from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register included BMI, birth weight and height, and was cross-referenced with the Danish Cancer Registry.The number of individuals diagnosed with bladder cancer as adults were 1,145, including 839 men.

The risk of developing the disease later in life was, for example, 10 per cent higher for a 13-year-old boy of average height (154.5 cm or 5ft) whose BMI increased 5.9kg above normal (the equivalent of 42.5kg). Conversely, a boy the same age and 8cm taller than average (162.5 cm or 5ft 3ins) had a six per cent lower risk of being diagnosed, according to the research.

"To put our results in perspective, for two 13-year-old boys of average height (154.5 cm), moving from a weight of 42.5 kg to 48.4kg equates to a 10 per cnet higher risk of bladder cancer in the heavier boy," said senior author Dr Jennifer L Baker.