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BMC Cancer
Published in: BMC Cancer 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Sleep duration and the risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis including dose–response relationship

Authors: Yuheng Chen, Fengwei Tan, Luopei Wei, Xin Li, Zhangyan Lyu, Xiaoshuang Feng, Yan Wen, Lanwei Guo, Jie He, Min Dai, Ni Li

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2018

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Abstract

Background

The effect of sleep duration on cancer risk remains controversial. We aimed to quantify the available evidence on this relationship using categorical and dose–response meta-analyses.

Methods

Population-based cohort studies and case-control studies with at least three categories of sleep duration were identified by searching PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library database up to July 2017.

Results

Sixty-five studies from 25 articles were included, involving 1,550,524 participants and 86,201 cancer cases. The categorical meta-analysis revealed that neither short nor long sleep duration was associated with increased cancer risk (short: odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0.97–1.05; long: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97–1.07). Subgroup analysis revealed that short sleep duration was associated with cancer risk among Asians (OR = 1.36; 95% CI: 1.02–1.80) and long sleep duration significantly increased the risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.08–1.34). The dose–response meta-analysis showed no significant relationship between sleep duration and cancer risk. When treated as two linear piecewise functions with a cut point of 7 h, similar nonsignificant associations were found (per 1-h reduction: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.98–1.07; per 1-h increment: OR = 1.003, 95% CI = 0.97–1.03).

Conclusion

Categorical meta-analysis indicated that short sleep duration increased cancer risk in Asians and long sleep duration increased the risk of colorectal cancer, but these findings were not consistent in the dose–response meta-analysis. Long-term randomized controlled trials and well-designed prospective studies are needed to establish causality and to elucidate the mechanism underlying the association between sleep duration and cancer risk.
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Metadata
Title
Sleep duration and the risk of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis including dose–response relationship
Authors
Yuheng Chen
Fengwei Tan
Luopei Wei
Xin Li
Zhangyan Lyu
Xiaoshuang Feng
Yan Wen
Lanwei Guo
Jie He
Min Dai
Ni Li
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-018-5025-y

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