Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2024

The association between cardiorespiratory fitness and breast, colon, and lung cancer incidence and mortality in 166 124 Swedish women (#17)

Kate A Bolam 1 2 3 4 , Helene Rundqvist 5 , Erin J Howden 1 4 , Elin Ekblom-Bak 2
  1. Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  2. The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
  3. University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia
  4. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne , Victoria, Australia
  5. Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Aims

To investigate the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and breast, colon and lung cancer incidence and mortality from a database of employed Swedish women, and to assess whether BMI modified the associations between CRF and cancer incidence.

Methods

This prospective cohort study was conducted in a population of women who underwent an occupational health assessment between 1982 and 2019 in Sweden. Data analysis was performed in June 2024. CRF was assessed as peak oxygen uptake, estimated with submaximal cycle ergometer test (estimated V02 peak). Data on breast, colon and lung cancer incidence and mortality were drawn from national registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression.

Results
Data on 166 124 women (age range, 18-80 years; mean [SD] age, 43 [11]; mean [SD] body mass index, 25 [4.4]) were analysed. During a mean (SD) follow-up time of 12.5 (6) years, a total of 2578 incident cases of breast, 681 of colon, and 626 of lung cancer were recorded, with 272 deaths due to breast cancer, 183 due to colon cancer, and 425 due to lung cancer. Higher estimated vo2 max was associated with significantly lower risks of colon (HR, 0.983; 95% CI, 0.973-0.993) and lung (HR, 0.984; 95% CI, 0.974-0.995) cancer incidence. Higher estimated vo2 was associated with significantly lower risk of lung cancer mortality (HR, 0.982; 95% CI, 0.970-0.995). BMI significantly modified the associations for breast cancer mortality, BMI<30: HR, 0.987; 95% CI 0.970-1.004, BMI>=30: HR, 1.016; 95% CI 0.950-1.086, (P= 0.04). 

Conclusions

In this large cohort of Swedish women, higher CRF was associated with a lower risk of colon and lung cancer. Higher CRF was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer mortality. CRF appears important for reducing the risk of colon and lung cancer incidence and lung cancer mortality.